■&- 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

.  in  2011  with  funding  from 

University  of  North  Carolina  at  Chapel  Hill 


A 


http://www.archive.org/details/lifetimesofsirwaOOthom 


*-^r 


LIBRARY 

UNIVERSITY    OF 

NORTH    CAROLINA 


LIFE   AND    TIMES 


OP 


Sir  Walter  Ralegh. 


BY  M.  A.  THOMSON, 

AUTHOR  OF  "MEMOIRS  OF   THE  COURT  OF  HEKRT  Vm. 


WITH    ILLUSTRATIONS. 


NEW  YORK: 

THE    ARUNDEL    PRINT. 


ADVERTISEMENT. 


In  submitting  to  the  Public  a  Life  of  Sir  Walter 
Ralegh,  some  brief  explanation  may  be  deemed  ex- 
pedient, of  the  reasons  which  induced  the  Author  to 
consider  such  a  work  necessary,  when  the  valuable 
labors  of  Oldys,  Cayley,  and  Birch,  are  still  in  ex- 
istence. 

Independent  of  the  circumstances,  that  the  efforts  of 
these  justly-prized  biographers  have  been  far  too  great- 
ly actuated  by  an  indiscriminate  partiality  for  the 
character  of  Ralegh,  it  may  be  alleged,  that  the  narra- 
tives of  the  two  first  of  these  authors  are  encumbered 
with  authentic,  but  heavy  documents  and  dissertations, 
interspersed  within  the  body  of  their  respective  works, 
rendering  them  fatiguing ;  and,  in  the  case  of  Oldys, 
almost  revolting  to  the  general  reader.  The  concise 
compilation  of  Birch,  admirable  as  far  as  it  goes,  is,  on 
the  other  hand,  too  limited  and  cursory  a  sketch  of 
the  life  and  actions  of  Ralegh,  to  afford  that  satisfac- 
tory picture  of  his  mind,  and  disposition,  which  biog 
raphy  is  intended  to  furnish. 

Endeavoring  to  steer  between  these  extremes,  the 
Author  of  the  Memoirs,  now  presented  to  the  Public, 
entertains  a  well-grounded  hope,  that  if  her  attempt  to 
compose  a  full,  and  yet  connected,  narrative  of  Ra- 
legh's life  be  considered  inefficient,  the  additional  docu- 
ments which  she  has  been  enabled  to  supply  will  re- 
deem it  from  being  wholly  useless.     In  the  Appendix 


IV  ADVERTISEMENT. 

to  this  work,  she  presents  to  the  Public  fifteen  original 
Letters,  now  for  the  first  time  printed,  from  the  collec- 
tion in  the  State  Paper  Office.  These,  whilst  they 
throw  but  little  new  light  upon  the  participation  of  Sir 
Walter  Ralegh  in  certain  public  affairs,  are  valuable, 
as  confirming,  in  a  manner  satisfactory  to  the  inquirer 
after  historical  truth,  the  impressions  previously  con- 
ceived of  the  share  which  he  took  in  the  political 
transactions  of  his  times. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

Birth  and  Origin  of  Ralegh :— His  Education  and  Choice  of  a  Pro- 
fession— His  Services  in  France  and  the  Low  Countries :— Man- 
time  Enterprises:— His  Services  in  Ireland :— His  Return  to 
Court:— Characters  with  whom  he  had  to  deal.— Expeditions  to 
Newfoundland-To  Virginia— Proofs  of  Favor  from  the  Queen. 
—Ralegh's  Occupations  in  Peace :— His  Patronage  of  Hakluyt  and 
Herriot  —  Charge  of  Deism  against  Ralegh  from  various  Writers. 
1552tol586.  .f PaSe9 

CHAPTER  II. 

Favor  of  Ralegh  commented  upon  by  Tarleton— Further  Under- 
takings of  Ralegh.-VKginia.-Tobacco.-The  Spanish  Invasion. 
—Lord  Howard  of  Effingham— Ralegh's  Share  in  repelling  the 
Armada  :-His  Visit  to  Ireland— Spenser— Ralegh's  Unpopularity 
with  the  Clergy— Dr.  Godwin— Udall— the  Brownists— The 
Jesuits— Father  Parsons— Ralegh's  Marriage  :— His  Disgrace  at 
Court:— His  Voyage  to  Guiana— Services  in  the  Atlantic  with 
Essex 

CHAPTER  III. 

The  Island  Voyage.— Mortifications  sustained  by  Ralegh  :— Failure 
of  the  Expedition— State  of  Affairs  at  Home— Decline,  and  sub- 
sequent Ruin  of  Essex:— The  Share  which  Ralegh  had  in  that 
Affair 74 

CHAPTER  IV. 

Accession  of  James— Intrigues  against  Ralegh— Mediation  of  the 
Earl  of  Northumberland— Character  of  Cecil :— Of  James :— His 
First  Interview  with  Ralegh— Causes  of  Ralegh's  Disgrace- 
Acts  of  Oppression  on  the  Part  of  James— Memorial  Addressed 
by  Ralegh  to  the  King— Reason  assigned  by  James  for  his  Dis- 
like to  Ralegh— State  of  Foreign  Affairs— Particulars  of  the  Con- 
spiracy, commonly  called  »  Ralegh's  Plot."— Arabella  Stuart- 
Brook— Cobham— Grey— Examinations  of  Cobham  and  Kalegn  : 
—Their  Committal  to  the  Tower.— Ralegh's  attempt  at  Suicide  : 
—His  Trial— Character  of  Coke— The  Trial  and  Fate  of  the 
other  Conspirators— Observations  upon  the  Degree  of  Blame  to 

be  attached  to  Ralegh ...laO 

A2 


VI  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  V 

Trial  of  Ralegh. — Character  of  Sir  Edward  Coke. — Affair  of  the 
Lady  Arabella. — Conduct  and  Sentence  of  the  Prisoners 161 

CHAPTER  VI. 

Estimate  of  Ralegh's  Property: — His  Estates  and  Occupations  in 
Ireland. — Ralegh's  Companions  in  Prison  : — His  Schemes  with 
respect  to  Guiana. — Death  of  Cecil  and  of  Prince  Henry. — Ra- 
legh's Release  from  the  Tower 191 

CHAPTER  VTI. 

Ralegh's  Designs  with  regard  to  Guiana: — His  last  Voyage  thither: 
— Its  unfortunate  Issue. — His  Return: — Apprehension — Trial — 
Death. — Account  of  his  Literary  Works,  and  Character 213 


APPENDIX. 

Note  A. 
Notices  relative  to  the  Potatoe,  by  Dr.  A.  T.  Thomson,    Page  269 

Note  B. 
Notices  relative  to  Tobacco,  by  Dr.  A.  T.  Thomson 269 

Note  C. 

Letter  from  Sir  Robert  Cecil  from  the  Tower  at  Dartmouth,  21st 
September,  1592,  280 

NoteD. 
setter  from  Ralegh  to  Cobham, 281 

Note  E. 

Letter  from  Ralegh  to  Cobham,  written  during  the  last  Progress 
made  by  Queen  Elizabeth 282 

Note  F. 
Letter  from  Lord  Grey  to  King  James, 282 

Note  G. 
Postscript  to  a  Letter  from  Ralegh  to  Cobham, 283 

Note  H. 

Letter  from  the  Lieutenant  of  the  Tower  to  Cecyll.    Signed  John 
Peyton, 283 


CONTENTS.  VU 

Note  I. 

Sir  W  Wade  to  Cecil.  "Endorsed  to  me"  in  Cecil's  hand 
writing 284 

Note  K. 
From  Sir  W.  Waad  to  Lord  Cecyll, 284 

Note  O. 

Endorsed  in  Cecil's  hand-writing.  "My  Letter  to  my  Lord 
Grey," 284 

Note  P. 

Letter  from  Hen.  Cobham  addressed  to  the  Ryght  Ho.  my  very 
Good  Lord  the  Erie  of  Nottingham,  Lord  High  Admiral,  the 
Erie  of  Suffolk,  Lord  Chamberlain,  ye  the  lord  Cisell,  His  Ma'tie's 
principall  Secretarie 285 

Letter  from  George  Brooke  to  Cecyle,   285 

Note  Q. 
Notice  relative  to  a  Letter  from  Wade  to  Cecil 285 

Note  R. 
Letter  of  Sir  W.  Ralegh  to  King  James  I. «285 

Note  S. 
To  the  Queen's  most  excellent  Maiestie, 286 

Note  U. 

Document  signed.  Addressed  to  Cecil.  Endorsed,  in  Cecil's 
hand-writing  "The  Judgment  of  Sir  W.  Ralegh's  case,"  ..  287 

Note  Y. 

From  Q.  Elizth.  to  her  Vice  Roy  in  Ireland  1582.  By  the 
Queene, 387 


LIFE 

OF 

SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 


CHAPTER  I. 

Birth  an  d  Origin  of  Ralegh  :— His  Education  and  Choice  of  a  Profession  : 
—His  Services  in  France  and  the  Low  Countries :— Maritime  Enter- 
prises :— His  Services  in  Ireland  :— His  Return  to  Court  :— Characters 
with  whom  he  had  to  deal.— Expeditions  to  Newfoundland— to  Vir- 
ginia.—Proofs  of  Favor  from  the  Queen.— Ralegh's  Occupations  in 
Peace :— His  Patronage  of  Hakluyt  and  Herriot.— Charge  of  Deism 
against  Ralegh  from  various  Writers. 

1552  to  1586. 

The  county  of  Devon  was  renowned,  in  the  time  of 
Queen  Elizabeth,  for  the  valor  of  its  inhabitants  in  naval 
services  ;  and  it  is  still  honored  as  the  birth-place  of  three 
celebrated  navigators,  Sir  Francis  Drake,  Sir  John  Haw- 
kins, and  Sir  Walter  Ralegh.  Ralegh  was  born  in  the  year 
1552,  at  Hayes,  a  farm  rented  by  his  father,  situated  in  the 
parish  of  Budely,  near  that  part  of  the  eastern  coast  of 
Devonshire  where  the  Otter  discharges  itself  into  the 
British  Channel. 

To  the  scene  of  his  childhood,  Ralegh,  in  common  with 
many  men  who  have  afterwards  encountered  the  cares  of  a 
public  career,  retained  an  indelible  attachment.  It  is  pleas- 
ing to  find  him,  at  a  subsequent  period  of  his  life,  when 
ambition  appears  to  have  engrossed  him,  endeavoring, 
though  without  success,  to  possess  the  humble  residence 
of  his  youth.  The  patrimonial  estate  was  Fardel,  in  the 
parish  of  Cornwood,  near  Plymouth  ;  and  Smalridge,  near 
Axminster,  is  said  to  have  belonged  to  his  ancestors,  in  the 
time  of  Henry  the  Eighth,  but  to  have  been  sold,  from  the 
prodigality  of  its  owners.* 

The  family  of  Ralegh  at  the  time  of  his  birth  was  greatly 
reduced  in  circumstances,  and  in  the  full  experience  of 

*  Oldys,  p.  5. 


10  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

those  privations  which  attend  poverty,  encumbered  with 
rank.  No  title,  except  that  of  knighthood,  had,  indeed,  as 
yet  given  false  splendor  to  a  name  which  boasted  an  an- 
cient connexion  with  Robert  of  Gloucester,  a  natural  son 
of  Henry  the  First ;  but  the  name  of  Ralegh  had  been  one 
of  some  importance,  and  of  great  antiquity.  Varying  in 
its  orthography  from  Rale,  or  Ralega,  to  Ralegh,  Raw- 
leigh,  or  Raleigh,  this  designation  had  been  affixed  to  seve- 
ral villages  and  towns  in  Somersetshire,  Devonshire,  and 
Essex  ;  and  his  ancestors  settled  in  Devonshire  before  the 
Norman  conquest.*  Allied  by  marriage  to  the  earls  of 
Devon,  and  related  to  various  families  of  their  own  name 
in  Somersetshire  and  Warwickshire,  the  ancestors  of  Ra- 
legh had  suffered  a  gradual  decrease  in  their  landed  pos- 
sessions; so  that  Fardel  alone,  of  all  their  estates,  remained 
as  the  inheritance  of  Walter  Ralegh,  the  father  of  him 
who  was  destined  again  to  raise  his  family  to  distinction. 
Some  memorials  of  ancient  grandeur  were  still  however 
preserved  from  the  devastations  of  time  or  misfortune  ;  and 
Sir  Walter  received,  as  an  heir-loom,  a  target,  which  had 
been  suspended  in  a  chapel  at  Smalridge  consecrated  to 
Saint  Leonard,  by  one  of  his  forefathers,  in  gratitude  for 
deliverance  from  the  Gaulsf ;  and  the  records  of  this  en- 
dowment are  stated  to  have  been  afterwards  presented  to 
Sir  Walter  Ralegh  by  a  priest  of  Axminster.J  That  the 
origin  and  early  piety  of  this  ancient  race  were  little 
known  in  the  days  of  Elizabeth,  until  the  fame  of  their 
celebrated  descendant  called  them  forth  from  obscurity,  is 
evident  from  the  anecdote .  which  Lord  Bacon  relates,  in 
illustration  of  the  popular  error  which  assigned  to  Ralegh 
the  term  "  Jack,  or  upstart."  Queen  Elizabeth  was  one 
day  playing  upon  the  virginals,  whilst  Lord  Oxford  and 
other  admiring  courtiers  stood  by  :  it  happened  that  the 
ledge  before  the  jacks  had  been  taken  awav  ;  upon  observ- 
ing which  the  two  noblemen  smiled,  and,  when  questioned 
by  the  queen  regarding  the  cause  of  their  mirth,  gave  as 
the  reason,  "that  they  were  amused  to  see  that  when  jacks 
went  up  heads  wentdown."§  The  Queen,  notwithstanding 
this  sarcastic  allusion,  had  not,  however,  in  receiving  Ra- 
legh into  her  favor,  departed  from  her  usual  rule  of  never 

•Cayley,  p.  2.  t  Prince's  Worthies  of  Devonshire,  p.  530. 

J  Cayley.  §  Bacon's  Apoththegms,  No.  182- 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  11 

admitting  "  a  mechanic  or  new  man  into  her  confidence* ; " 
and  Ralegh  had,  afterwards,  the  credit,  by  his  deeds,  of 
directing  the  investigation  of  antiquaries  to  the  details  of 
his  lineao-e.     These,  as  points  of  curious  inquiry,  demand 
some  attention  ;  but  are  of  subordinate  interest  in  the  his- 
tory of  one  whose  very  poverty  and  obscurity  became  the 
origin  of  his  fortunes,  by  being  the  stimulus  to  his  industry. 
That  Ralegh  naturally,  and  even  commendably,  prized 
the  advantages  of  an  honorable  descent,  may  be  mferred 
by   the   solicitude  afterwards  displayed  by  his   relative 
Hooker  to  define,  in  his  dedication  to  him  of  the  Chroni- 
cles of  Ireland,  the  claims  to  distinction  which  their  com- 
mon ancestry  possessed ;  since  Hooker  enjoyed  the  patron- 
age and  friendship  of  his  kinsman,  and  sought  in  his  wri- 
tings to  do  him  honor ;  but  there  is  no  reason  to  suppose 
that  he  rested  his  hopes  of  greatness  upon  any  basis  less 
solid  than  that  of  his  own  merit  and  exertions.     With  the 
inconveniences  of  a  reduced  inheritance,  the  father  of  Sir 
Walter  Ralegh  experienced  those  attendant  upon  repeated 
marriages,  and  numerous  offspring.     By  his  first  wife  he 
had  two  sons,  the  elder  of  whom,  George,  became  the  pos- 
sessor, after  his  death,  of  Fardel  ;  which  afterwards  de- 
volved, successively,  to  his  two  brothers,  the  younger  of 
whom,  Carew,  sold  his  patrimonial  property,  and  it  passed 
for  ever  from  the  family  of  Ralegh.   The  mother  of  Ralegh, 
and  the  third  wife  of  his  father,  was  the  daughter  of  Sir 
Philip  Champernon  of  Modbury,  and  the  widow  of  Otho 
Gilbert,  a  gentleman  of  large  property,  residing  at  Comp- 
ton,  in  Devon.    Three  children,  Carew,  Walter,  and  Mar- 
garet Ralegh,  were  the  result  of  this  last  union  ;   after 
which  the  father  of  Sir  Walter  resided  entirely  at  Hayes, 
where  the  younger  branches  of  the  family  were  reared. 

It  is  singular  that  no  trace  is  preserved,  either  in  the  let- 
ters, or  by  the  conversation  of  Ralegh,  of  the  mode  and 
place  of  his  earliest  education. 

That  species  of  biography  which,  by  describing  the  pro- 
gress of  intellect,  affords  the  most  important  assistance, 
and,  oftentimes,  encouragement,  to  the  young  and  aspiring, 
appears  to  have  been  little  enjoyed  or  understood  by  our 
ancestors.  It  was  thought  much  to  preserve  the  name  of 
the  college,  or  even  of  the  university  only,  where  a  cele- 

*  Naunton's  Fragmenta  Regalia,  4to.  p.  28. 


12  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

brated  individual  received  his  last  chance  of  tuition :  and 
the  history  of  his  previous  early  years,  in  which  the  bias  of 
the  character  is  generally  determined,  has  scarcely  ever 
been  transmitted  to  us,  even  by  those  who  have  been  mi- 
nute and  faithful  annalists  of  the  events  of  mature  life. 
Respecting  the  portion  of  instruction  which  fell  to  Ralegh's 
lot,  it  is  merely  known,  that  at  sixteen  he  was  sent  to  Ox- 
ford, and  was  entered  as  a  commoner  both  at  Oriel  College 
and  at  Christ-Church,  in  compliance  with  a  custom  not  un- 
usual in  former  times,  and,  probably,  intended  to  secure  the 
privilege  of  aspiring  to  a  fellowship  at  one  or  other  of  these 
colleges.*  During  a  residence  in  the  University  of  three 
years,  he  devoted  himself  with  success  to  the  study  of 
philosophy  and  of  letters ;  and,  though  he  left  Oxford  without 
a  degree,  yet,  he  acquired  a  higher  honor  in  obtaining 
the  good  opinion  of  Bacon,  who  there  foretold  his  future 
eminence.! 

In  the  choice  of  a  profession  Ralegh  appears  to  have 
been  divided,  for  some  time,  between  the  bar  and  the  camp. 
That  he  actually  entered  at  any  of  our  inns  of  court  is, 
however,  doubtful ;  and  the  prevalent  opinion,  that  he  was 
at  one  time  a  student  of  the  Middle  Temple,  arose  either 
from  his  display  of  legal  acuteness  on  his  subsequent  trial, 
or  from  a  temporary  residence  within  the  walls  of  that  es- 
tablishment. Queen  Elizabeth,  with  a  view,  perhaps,  to 
the  intellectual  culture  of  her  young  courtiers,  commended 
our  inns  of  court,  and  was  accustomed  to  say,  "  that  they 
fitted  young  men  for  the  future  :"  hence  it  is  probable  that, 
in  those  days  of  mental  slavery,  all  who  aspired  to  her  fa- 
vor were  reported  to  have  pursued  the  course  which  she 
approved ;  and  that  Ralegh  was  not  unwilling,  during  her 
reign,  to  enjoy  the  credit  of  having  been  thus  prepared  for 
public  life.  He  is,  however,  affirmed  by  one  who  knew  him 
well,  to  have  been  trained,  "  not  part,  but  wholly  gentle- 
man, wholly  soldier ;"  and  there  appears  to  have  been  but 
little  time  allowed  for  any  other  plans  of  study,  since, 
from  the  statement  of  Hooker,  he  spent  in  France  "good 
part  of  his  youth  in  wars  and  martial  services."!  In  the 
circumstances  of  his  relations  Ralegh  found  inducements 
to  a  military  career :  his  maternal  uncle,  Henry  Champer 

*  Fuller's  Church  History,  lib.  4.  and  5.  fol.  104.  f  Oldys,  p.  5. 

J  Ralegh's  Ghost,  4to.  p.  15.  and  Hooker,  Epist.  Ded.  See  Oldys,  9. 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  13 

non,  being  an  officer  of  some  note  in  our  armies.*  At  the 
request  of  this  kinsman,  Ralegh  enlisted  into  a  troop  of 
gentlemen  volunteers  under  Champernon's  command,  who 
purposed  leading  them  into  France,  in  order  to  assist  the 
Protestant  princes  engaged  in  the  civil  wars  of  that  coun- 
try. This  adventurous  band  went  forth  on  horseback, 
bearing  on  their  colors  the  motto,  "  Finem  det  mihi  virtus.'1'' 
They  were  sanctioned  by  the  permission  of  Elizabeth,  who 
had  shown  her  approbation  of  the  cause  by  accommodating 
the  Queen  of  Navarre  with  a  sum  of  money,  upon  the 
deposit  of  certain  jewels  in  the  English  treasury,  f  It  is 
doubtful  in  what  service,  or  with  what  success,  the  troop 
were  distinguished  in  France;  but  it  appears  that  they 
were  well  received  by  the  Queen  of  Navarre  and  the  Pro- 
testant princes,  and  that  they  remained  six  years  in  their 
employment. 

It  is  conjectured  that,  unless  on  some  casual  leave  of 
absence  in  England,  Ralegh  must  have  witnessed  the  mas- 
sacre of  Saint  Bartholomew  in  1572,  and  shared  in  the 
dangers  of  the  unfortunate  Hugonots.  Perhaps,  from  his 
participation  in  the  horrors  of  this  scene,  he  imbibed  that 
aversion  to  religious  intolerance  which  afterwards  charac- 
terized him  as  a  senator,  and  which  was  then  far  less 
prevalent,  even  among  philosophical  and  intelligent  men, 
that  it  has  happily  proved  to  be  in  the  present  day.  What- 
ever may  have  been  Ralegh's  situation  on  this  momentous 
occasion,  no  actual  traces  of  its  impression  on  his  mind  re- 
main, however,  in  his  writings,  nor  have  been  transmitted 
by  his  biographers;  a  circumstance  which  may  seem  to 
imply  his  absence  from  the  massacre,  since  he  has  alluded 
to  many  of  his  services  in  his  works.  It  is  scarcely  proba- 
ble that  allusions  to  such  an  exhibition  of  human  ven- 
geance in  its  most  appalling  form  would  have  been  omitted 
by  one  who,  in  his  History  of  the  World,  has  frequently 
drawn  a  parallel  between  the  scenes  which  he  narrates, 
and  those  with  which  he  was  identified  by  his  own  experi- 
ence. 

In  that  monument  of  his  genius  and  industry,  he  refers 
to  his  presence  at  the  battle  of  Moncontour,  in  Poitou,  and 
extols  Count  Lodovic  of  Nassau,  brother  to  the  Prince  of 
Orange,  who  made  the  retreat  on  that  occasion,  with  such 

*  Wood,  Athen.  Oxoniensis,  vol.  i.  col.  435.  t  Camden,  p.  117. 

B 


14  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

resolution  and  prudence  that  he  saved  one  half  of  the  Pro- 
testant army,  then  broken  and  disbanded : — "  of  which,' 
says  Ralegh,  "  myself  was  an  eye-witness,  and  was  one  of 
them  that  had  cause  to  thank  him  for  it."*  It  is  a  fact 
equally  certain,  and  much  more  important,  that  in  these 
tumultuous  scenes,  Ralegh,  then  only  in  his  eighteenth 
year,  collected  and  stored  up  a  portion  of  those  facts  and 
observations  with  which  he  afterwards  enriched  his  Histo- 
ry of  the  World;  a  work  to  which  the  soldier  and  the 
scholar,  the  courtier  and  the  moralist,  may  repair  both  for 
instruction  and  delight. 

In  1575  he  returned  to  England  for  a  few  years,  but  soon 
resumed  his  military  career,  under  Sir  John  Norris,  in  the 
Netherlands.  Here  he  was,  in  all  probability,  engaged  in 
the  battle  of  Rimenant,  in  which  Don  John  of  Austria,  then 
governor  of  the  Netherlands  for  Philip  the  Second  of 
1578  ^Pam>  was  defeated ;  a  disgrace  which  that  com- 
mander only  survived  two  months. 
An  enterprise  of  a  new  description  now  engaged  the 
energetic  mind  of  Ralegh.  Various  circumstances  con- 
spired to  direct  his  attention  to  the  progress  of  maritime 
discovery ;  a  subject  on  which  the  imaginations  of  the  ar- 
dent, and  the  speculations  of  the  busy,  were  then  actively 
engaged.  During  the  two  last  centuries,  a  spirit  of  daring 
adventure  had  been  encouraged  by  the  splendid  examples 
of  Vasco  di  Gama  and  of  Columbus,  and  by  the  merito- 
rious, though  less  fortunate,  exertions  of  Magellan,  who 
lost  his  life  before  his  undertaking  was  completed.  Spain 
and  Portugal,  mutually  jealous  to  obtain  the  earliest 
knowledge  of  the  shortest  passage  to  the  valuable  posses- 
sions of  India,  vied  with  one  another  in  endeavoring  to 
promote,  throughout  their  respective  dominions,  a  thirst 
for  maritime  glory.  England  had  borne  her  part  in  the 
emulous  contention  for  colonial  superiority,  and,  in  common 
with  her  continental  rivals,  had,  latterly,  turned  her  at- 
tention towards  the  north-east  coast  of  America.  In  the 
reign  of  Henry  the  Seventh,  the  island  of  Newfoundland 
was  discovered  by  a  Venetian  merchant,  Sebastian  Cabot, 
who  took  the  command  of  an  English  squadron.  To  extend 
our  knowledge  of  this  territory,  and  to  obtain  a  more  se- 
cure and  acknowledged  possession  of  it  than  had,  hitherto 

*  Hirt.  X  to  World,  book  v.  chapter  ii.  sect.  8.  edit.  Lond.  1687. 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  15 

been  effected,  became,  in  the  reign  of  Elizabeth,  the  ob- 
ject of  general  solicitude. 

It  was  the  fortunate  lot  of  Ralegh,  not  only  to  possess  an 
enterprising  and  resolute  spirit,  but  to  be  connected  with 
those  who  had  the  will  and  the  power  to  encourage  his 
rising  genius.  His  relations  on  both  sides  were  eminent ; 
and  his  mother  was,  at  a  later  period,  authorized  to  make 
a  boast,  rare  in  those  days,  of  being  the  parent  of  five 
knights.  Of  these,  three  were  the  sons  of  her  former  mar- 
riage,— Sir  John,  Sir  Humphrey,  and  Sir  Adrian  Gilbert.* 
Sir  John  Gilbert  was  sheriff  and  Custos  Rotulorum  of  the 
county  of  Devon,  and  was  a  kind  of  oracle  in  those  parts, 
as  well  as  a  liberal  country  gentleman,  and  benefactor  to 
the  poor.  Sir  Adrian  was  scarcely  less  estimable,  and  be- 
came more  famous  than  his  pacific  brother,  for  a  patent 
which  he  took  out  for  the  investigation  of  the  north-west 
passage.  With  this  patent,  and  under  his  auspices,  the 
celebrated  John  Davis  discovered  the  straits  which  bear 
his  name.  But  the  most  admirable,  although  the  most  un- 
fortunate, of  the  three  brothers,  was  the  distinguished 
mariner,  Sir  Humphrey  Gilbert.!  This  good  and  brave 
man,  although  a  second  son,  yet  received  from  his  father  a 
very  ample  fortune ;  but  it  was  from  his  mother's  judicious 
care  that  he  derived  the  still  greater  advantage  of  an  ex- 
cellent education,  at  Eton  first,  and  afterwards  at  Oxford. 
Since  this  lady  was,  also,  the  mother  of  Ralegh,  and  had, 
by  both  her  husbands,  the  credit  of  giving  heroes  to  the 
world,  it  is  not  extravagant  to  conclude  that  she  must  her- 
self have  been  a  woman  of  merit,  and  that  the  energetic 
character  of  her  children  might,  in  a  great  measure,  be 
attributed  to  her  nurture  and  example. 

Like  Walter  Ralegh,  his  half-brother,  Sir  Humphrey, 
after  quitting  college,  had  some  intention  of  studying  at 
one  of  the  inns  of  court,  although  his  favorite  pursuits  had 
been  cosmography  and  navigation! :  but  being  introduced 
to  Queen  Elizabeth  by  his  aunt,  Mrs.  Katherine  Ashley, 
one  of  her  majesty's  waiting-women,  he  made  so  rapid  a 
progress  in  her  favor,  as  soon  to  be  preferred  to  a  very  im- 
portant command  in  Ireland.  Here,  like  Ralegh,  he  passed 

*  Note  in  Biographia  Britannica,  Life  of  Sir  H.  Gilbert, 
f  There  was  in  the  reign  of  Henry  the  Seventh  a  famous  navigator  of 
Ihe  same  name,  whose  maps  are  still  preserved  in  Whitehall. 
I  Biographia,  note  from  Hooker's  Dedication. 


16  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

some  years  in  an  arduous  and  bloody  service,  until  he  had 
attained  his  thirty-third  year ;  when  returning  to  England, 
he  resolved  to  add  to  the  glory  of  his  name  and  country  by 
some  important  and  difficult  enterprise,  the  spirit  of  which 
he  doubtless  imbibed  from  the  examples  of  the  other  great 
navigators  of  the  times. 

Sir  Humphrey  was  thirteen  years  older  than  Ralegh, 
and  may  be  supposed  to  have  possessed  a  very  considerable 
influence  over  his  mind. — Their  characters  were,  indeed, 
in  many  points  similar ;  their  views  and  pursuits  were  the 
same :  both  were  enthusiastic,  aspiring,  patriotic ;  and  both 
were  unfortunate.  The  device  which  the  elder  brother 
adopted  early  in  his  career  might  have  been  used,  also,  by 
his  successor  in  the  paths  of  fame :  it  represented  Mars 
and  Mercury  joined  by  a  cross,  with  this  motto, — Quid 
non  ?  alluding  to  the  power  which  is  acquired  by  a  strong 
determination  to  unite  pursuits  the  most  dissimilar,  and  to 
conquer  difficulties. 

Successful  in  the  field,  and  bold  and  impressive  in  the 
House  of  Commons,  in  which  he  sat  as  representative  for 
Plymouth,  Sir  Humphrey,  about  the  period  when  Ralegh 
had  made  his  first  essay  in  military  operations,  began  to 
revolve  in  his  mind  the  practicability  of  making  out  a 
north-west  voyage  to  the  East  Indies.  The  existence  of 
such  a  passage  was  first  discovered  by  him  by  means  of 
his  mathematical  knowledge,  and  a  scientific  and  perspicu- 
ous treatise  written  in  support  of  his  arguments  ;*  but  he 
was  destined  never  to  enjoy  the  honor  of  executing  the 
project  which  he  had  conceived :  it  was,  however,  com- 
pleted after  his  death,  as  we  have  seen,  by  his  brother, 
Adrian  Gilbert. 

,  p.  7o  Deferring  for  a  time  the  commencement  of  this  im- 
portant  scheme,  Sir  Humphrey  obtained  permission 
of  the  queen  to  plant  and  inhabit  certain  parts  of  North 
America,  which  were  not  occupied  by  any  of  her  allies,  f 
In  this  undertaking,  which  was  professedly  for  the  exten- 
sion of  the  Christian  faith,  he  was  joined  by  Ralegh,  from 
motives  probably  mingled,  ambition,  desire  of  gain,  and 
ardor  for  distinction,  being,  perhaps,  his  first  inducements. 

For  this  and  similar  expeditions,  not  courage  only,  but 
capital,  was  required.     Elizabeth,  at  the  beginning  of  her 

•  Hakluyt's  Voy.  iii.  p.  11.  t  Birch. 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  17 

reign,  possessed  seventeen  ships  of  war  only,  and  the  rest 
of  the  British  navy,  which  effected  afterwards  such  glorious 
achievements,  was  composed  either  of  ships  supplied  by 
Bristol,  Barnstaple,  or  other  commercial  towns,  of  vessels 
hired  by  the  queen,  or  furnished  by  the  company  of  mer- 
chant adventurers,  by  the  city  of  London,  or  even  by  pri- 
vate individuals.*  The  share  which  Ralegh  had  in  the 
risk  or  profits  of  his  first  voyage  to  Newfoundland,  was, 
probably,  confined  to  his  personal  participation  in  its  dan- 
gers ;  for,  at  this  early  period,  he  had  little  to  venture 
in  any  enterprise.  He  joined  his  kinsman  with  several 
other  gentlemen,  but  circumstances  were  adverse  to  their 
success.  Many  who  had  promised  to  assist  them  with  men 
and  ships  failed  in  their  engagements.  They  set  out  with 
two  sail  only ;  one  of  which,  after  various  perils,  was  lost 
in  an  unfortunate  engagement  with  the  Spaniards;  and 
Raleigh,  after  encountering  dangers  which  would  have 
disheartened  a  man  of  a  less  sanguine  temperament,  re- 
turned to  England,  not  to  relax  into  inaction,  but  to  point 
his  exertions  towards  other  objects.  He  soon  found  em- 
ployment for  his  active  temperament  in  a  school  of  military 
science,  similar  to  that  in  which  his  brother-in-law  had  been 
already  trained.  The  situation  of  England,  with  respect  to 
neighboring  countries,  afforded  to  her  young,  half-civilized, 
and  warlike  nobility,  a  constant  and  yet  varied  school  of  mili- 
tary science,  the  favorite  study  as  well  of  a  barbarous  as  of 
a  corrupt  age.  France,  the  Netherlands,  and  especially  Ire- 
land, gave  continual  occupation  to  her  armies,  and  prevented 
the  courtiers  who  thronged  around  the  queen  from  becoming 
exclusively  the  indolent  minions  of  her  vanity.  The  Irishry, 
as  they  were  vulgarly  called,  were  with  difficulty  kept 
even  in  the  semblance  of  subjection ;  and  disturbances, 
succeeded  by  actual  rebellion,  were  the  incessant  results 
of  the  attempts  which  Elizabeth  made  to  introduce,  by 
force,  the  reformed  religion  into  the  sister  kingdom.  In- 
deed, being,  as  Camden  describes  them,  "  an  uncivill  peo- 
ple, and  the  more  prone  to  superstition,"  it  required  a  far 
greater  military  force  than  the  parsimonious  expenditure 
of  the  queen  allowed,  to  prevent  the  frequent  recurrence 
of  such  broils  during  the  whole  of  her  reign.  New  troubles 
bad  now  arisen ;  and  a  plot,  commenced  in  1570,  at  the 
instigation  of  Philip  the  Second,  m  order  to  place  the  natu- 

*  Campbell's  British  Admirals,  vol.  i.  p.  441. 

B2 


18  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

ral  son  of  Pope  Gregory  the  Thirteenth  on  the  throne  of 
Ireland,  was  revived  under  a  more  threatening  aspect. 
The  invaders,  composed  partly  of  Spaniards,  partly  of  Ital- 
ians, landed  under  the  command  of  an  officer  named  San 
Joseph,  at  Smerwich,  in  Kerry,  where  they  erected  a  fort, 
to  which  they  gave  the  imposing  designation,  "  Del  Oro."* 
It  was  at  this  crisis  that  Ralegh  obtained  a  commission, 
under  Lord  Grey  of  Wilton,  then  Lord  Deputy  of  Ireland, 
a  nobleman  of  considerable  abilities,  sullied,  unhappily,  by 
cruelty.  The  principal  services  in  which  Ralegh  joined, 
were  performed  under  the  command  of  Thomas,  earl  of 
Ormond,  Governor  of  Munster,  whom  he  assisted  in  quell- 
ing the  rebellion  in  that  province.  The  conduct  of  the 
young  soldier,  although  commended  for  valor,  was  yet  dis- 
graced by  a  degree  of  barbarity  scarcely  to  be  excused  in 
earlier  times  than  those  in  which  he  lived.  Having  sur- 
prised the  rebels  at  Rakele,  he  observed  one  of  the  prison- 
ers laden  with  withies.  To  the  inquiry  what  he  meant  to 
have  done  with  these,  the  undaunted  reply  was  given,  "  To 
have  hung  up  the  English  churls."  Ralegh,  unmoved  by 
the  hardihood  of  the  unfortunate  man,  caused  him  to  be  in- 
stantly strangled  with  his  own  withies,  and  ordered  his 
companions  to  be  treated  in  a  similar  manner.f  This  con- 
duct, which  presents  not  the  only  charge  of  cruelty  with 
which  the  memory  of  Ralegh  has  been  taxed,  appears, 
"  however,  to  have  been  approved  by  the  Lord  Deputy,  who, 
like  the  other  English  commanders  of  the  period,  regarded 
the  Irish  rather  as  a  race  of  wild  and  noxious  animals  that 
ought  to  be  exterminated,  than  as  human  beings,  subjects 
of  the  same  monarch,  children  of  one  heavenly  Father,  and 
creatures  capable  of  being  reclaimed  from  error  and  turbu- 
lence by  mild  and  just,  yet  vigilant,  measures.  The  dis- 
position evinced  by  Ralegh  towards  this  wretched  people 
proves  how  frequently  scenes  of  bloodshed  obliterate,  for  a 
time,  virtuous  dipositions  and  the  convictions  of  philosophi- 
cal reasoning.  Ralegh  was,  indeed,  brought  by  adversity 
and  reflection  to  see  the  folly,  the  guilt,  and  the  shame  of 
those  pursuits,  however  skilfully  conducted,  which  en- 
croach upon  the  happiness  of  our  fellow-men.  Stripping 
away  the  false  colors  in  which  the  prejudices  of  education 

*  Rapin,  vol.  vii.  p.  404.    Gordon's  Hist.  Ireland,  vol.  i.  p.  373. 
t  Birch's  Life  of  Raleigh,  from  Honker's  ^implement  c'  *£>  r'kroaicto 
•flreUnd   in  Ho'.inshed  fo>    J67 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  19 

and  the  ardor  of  youth  had  once  arrayed  the  mighty  con- 
querors of  the  earth,  Ralegh  has  left  his  testimony  to  the 
great  truth,  that  we  shall  one  day  cast  off  our  false  notions 
of  glory,  separated  from  virtue,  as  pernicious  and  grovel- 
ling delusions.  "And  as  certainly,"  says  he,  "as  fame 
hath  often  been  dangerous  to  the  living,  so  is  it  to  the  dead 
of  no  use  at  all,  because  separate  from  knowledge :  which 
were  it  otherwise,  and  the  extreme  ill  bargain  of  buying  this 
lasting  discourse  understood  by  them  which  are  dissolved, 
they  themselves  would  then  rather  have  wished  to  have  stolen 
out  of  the  world  without  noise,  than  to  be  put  in  mind  that 
they  have  purchased  the  report  of  their  actions  in  the  world 
by  rapine,  oppression,  and  cruelty, — by  giving  in  spoil  the 
innocent  and  laboring  soul  to  the  idle  and  indolent,  and  by 
having  emptied  the  cities  of  the  world  of  their  ancient  in- 
habitants, and  filled  them  again  with  so  many  and  so  variable 
sorts  of  sorrows."*  Such  were  the  sentiments  of  Ralegh, 
when  in  confinement,  old  age,  and  sorrow,  he  awoke  to  the 
feelings  of  nature,  and  yielded  to  the  dictates  of  reason. 

Meanwhile,  the  season  of  his  youth  was  occupied  in 
furthering  those  designs  which,  in  his  later  days,  he  justly 
execrated  and  contemned.  His  zeal  hi  the  queen's  service 
was  rewarded  by  an  appointment  to  command  in  the  siege 
of  Del  Oro.  By  this  post  the  Spanish  vessels  were  enabled 
readily  to  bring  supplies  to  the  insurgents,  and  it  was  con- 
sequently of  the  utmost  importance.  It  soon  fell  before  the 
assaults  of  the  English,  who,  under  the  command  of  Admi- 
ral Winter,  invaded  it  by  sea,  and,  by  land,  under  that  of 
Lord  Grey,  while  Ralegh  fought  with  great  valor  in  the 
trenches.  Such  was  the  barbarous  policy  of  the  Lord 
Deputy  that,  although  the  garrison  surrendered,  yet  the 
greater  part  were  slaughtered ;  and  to  Ralegh,  p^  Q 
and  to  another  officer  who  first  entered  within  the  io!°7 
castle,  the  execution  of  the  iniquitous  task  was  '  " 
intrusted. 

Unwearied  with  this  terrible  service,  Ralegh  remained 
at  Cork  during  the  winter,  and  occupied  this  season  of  re- 
pose from  military  toils,  in  watching  the  most  conspicuous 
individuals  amongst  the  rebels,  and  in  harassing  those 
whose  wealth  rendered  them  desirable  prizes  to  the  Eng- 
lish government.     Cruel,  indeed,  were  the  diss(  nsions  of 

*  Hist,  of  the  World.    Conclusion. 


20  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

that  period,  when  the  fear  of  Ralegh's  unrelenting  and 
destructive  hand  impelled  the  Lord  Barry  to  hurn  his  cas- 
tle at  Barrymore  rather  than  leave  it  in  the  possession  of 
his  bloodthirsty  and  rapacious  enemies.  Among  the  peril- 
ous services  in  which  Ralegh  was  engaged,  the  seizure  of 
Lord  Roche,  a  powerful  insurgent  nobleman,  may  be  con- 
sidered as  a  remarkable  instance  of  his  valor  and  address. 
To  dispel  the  formidable  confederacy  in  which  Roche  was 
engaged,  he  offered  to  bring  him,  with  his  family,  before 
the  Earl  of  Ormond,  at  Cork.  This  design  appeared  im- 
practicable, from  the  numerous  partisans  of  the  rebel  chief- 
tain, scouring  the  country  in  bands,  or  infesting  it  in  am- 
buscades. But  Ralegh  stole  a  night  march,  with  great 
secrecy  and  alacrity ;  and  partly  by  manoeuvre,  partly  by 
force,  effected  an  entrance  into  the  very  halls  of  the  enemy. 
Here  he  was  tempted,  by  the  proffered  hospitality  of  the 
Irish  nobleman,  to  waive  the  purpose  of  his  visit.  He  par- 
took, indeed,  of  an  entertainment,  but  when  it  was  con- 
cluded, avowed  his  resolution  to  oblige  his  host  to  return 
with  him  as  a  prisoner.  Lord  Roche,  finding  resistance 
useless,  consented  to  accompany  him,  declaring  that  he 
would  prove  himself  innocent  of  the  charges  brought 
against  him.  He  found,  however,  that  the  young  Eng- 
lishman was  resolved  on  carrying  him  to  Cork  by  night, 
notwithstanding  the  natural  perils  of  the  road,  and  those 
which  were  prepared  for  them  by  the  vigilant  and  active 
Irish  rebels.  Regardless  of  these  sources  of  danger,  Ralegh 
and  his  prisoners  went  forth,  sheltered  by  the  obscurity  of 
the  night  from  the  attacks  of  the  rebels,  but  exposed  to 
fatal  accidents  from  the  rocks  and  hills,  which,  in  a  country 
scarcely  civilized,  presented  incessant  obstacles  to  a  safe 
journey.  Many  of  his  soldiers  were  severely  hurt,  and 
one  of  them  killed  by  repeated  falls ;  but  Ralegh  forgot  his 
troubles  when  he  presented  to  the  Lord  Ormond,  on  the 
following  day,  his  important  prizes.  The  most  satisfactory 
result  of  the  affair  was,  that  Lord  Roche  was  honorably 
acquitted,  and  that  he  afterwards  conducted  himself  as  a 
faithful  subject.* 

On  the  departure  of  Lord  Ormond  for  England,  Ralegh 
was  intrusted  with  the  government  of  Munster,  in  con- 
junction with  two  other  officers.!  In  this  situation  he  con- 
tinued until  the  spring  of  the  year  1582,  when,  upon  tne 

*  Oldys,  4?.  f  Spenser's  View  of  the  State  of  Ireland. 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  2. 

subjugation  of  the  principal  rebels,  he  returned  to  England 
desirous,  probably,  to  walk  in  the  sunshine  of  that  court, 
the  splendor  of  which,  independent  of  any  substantial  ad- 
vantages, attracted  an  ardent  and  ambitious  mind. 

Ralegh  was  now  in  his  thirtieth  year.  Few  persons  have 
entered  public  life  with  advantages  of  mind  and  person  equal 
to  those  which  he  possessed.  Few  sovereigns  have  known 
better  how  to  prize  both  mental  and  external  attributes  than 
the  vain  but  discerning  Elizabeth.  The  features  of  Sir 
Walter  Ralegh  are  said  to  have  been  moulded  with  the  ut- 
most symmetry,  and  the  outline  of  manly  beauty  to  have 
pervaded  the  whole  countenance.  He  had  a  noble  and  ca 
pacious  forehead,  an  eye  beaming  with  intelligence,  soften- 
ed with  the  shadows  of  profound  thought.  Such  at  least 
is  the  impression  conveyed  by  the  most  favorable  portraits 
of  this  gifted  man :  these  differ,  however,  greatly,  and  one 
may  almost  imagine  to  trace  the  changes  that  mark  the  gra- 
dations from  youthful  ardor  to  the  cares  of  maturity,  from 
the  cares  of  his  maturity  to  the  sorrows,  perplexities,  and 
infirmities  of  his  old  age.  The  person  of  Ralegh  was  ad- 
mirably proportioned,  and  dignified,  his  height  being  nearly 
six  feet.*  Thus  he  united  every  attribute  of  grace  with 
strength,  and  doubtless  with  expression :  for  it  is  impossible 
that  such  a  mind  as  his  should  not  have  imparted  a  power 
of  fascination,  of  which  even  an  ordinary  countenance  is 
susceptible  when  illuminated  with  genius,  and  consequently 
with  sensibility.  These  natural  advantages  were  import- 
ant circumstances  in  the  eyes  of  Elizabeth,  who  frequently 
selected  the  objects  of  her  regard  from  trivial  motives,  but 
retained  them  in  her  favor  only  as  she  found  their  talents 
justify  her  choice.  To  the  attractions  of  a  noble  figure 
Ralegh  studied  to  combine  those  of  a  graceful  and  splendid 
attire.  Many  of  his  garments  were  adorned  with  jewels, 
according  to  the  richest  fashions  of  the  day,  and  his  armor 
was  so  costly  and  curious,  that  it  was  preserved,  for  its  ra- 
rity, in  the  Tower.  In  one  of  his  portraits  he  is  repre- 
sented in  this  armor  which  was  of  silver  richly  ornamented, 
and  his  sword  and  belt  studded  with  diamonds,  rubies,  and 
pearls.  In  another,  he  chose  to  be  depicted  in  a  white 
satin  pinked  vest,  surrounded  with  a  brown  doublet,  flow- 
fired,  and  embroidered  with  pearls ;  and  on  his  head  a  little 

*  Oldys,  145. 


22  LIFE  Or  feiK  WALTER  RALEGH. 

black  feather,  with  a  large  ruby  and  pearl  drop  to  confius 
the  loop  in  place  of  a  button.*  These,  it  may  be  said,  were 
no  extraordinary  proofs  of  costly  expenditure  in  dress,  in 
days  when  it  was  th3  boast  of  Villiers  duke  of  Bucking- 
ham, to  be  "  yoked  and  manacled"  in  ropes  of  pearl,  and  to 
carry  on  his  cloak  and  suit  alone,  diamonds  to  the  value  of 
eighty  thousand  pounds  :  but  the  duke  was  rather  a  cour 
tier  than  a  statesman,  and  was  little  else ;  whilst  Ralegb 
as  a  man  of  science,  of  letters,  and  of  martial  reputation 
might  have  been  supposed  worthy  of  deriving  reputation 
from  higher  sources  without  the  necessity  of  descending  to 
the  trivial  competitions  of  dress.  It  is  not  to  be  supposed 
that  any  of  the  fair  sex  could  be  insensible  to  this  trait  of 
character  in  the  accomplished  Ralegh ;  and  abundant  proofs 
have  shown,  that  the  wise  and  wary  Elizabeth  prized  these 
adventitious  attributes  as  highly  as  the  weakest  and  vainest 
of  her  attendants.  She  received  therefore,  with  compla- 
cency and  surprise,  the  adroit  flattery  of  Ralegh,  who, 
meeting  the  queen  near  a  marshy  spot,  threw  off  the  mag- 
nificent mantle  which  he  wore,  and  cast  it  on  the  ground. 
This  anecdote,  which  is  generally  related  of  their  first 
meeting,  if  not  true,  is  at  least  characteristic.  He  soon 
received  encouragement  even  from  the  pen  of  the  queen. 
He  is  related  to  have  written  upon  a  window,  which  she 
could  not  fail  to  pass,  this  line :  "  Fain  would  I  climb,  but 
yet  fear  I  to  fall ;"  which  received  from  the  hand  of  Eliza- 
beth this  reply,  "  If  thy  heart  fail  thee,  climb  not  at  all."f 
To  her  masculine  shrewdness,  the  queen  united  some  sen- 
timents of  romance  which  would  have  accorded  with  a 
gentler  nature.  She  commended  poetry,  especially  when 
addressed  to  herself,  although  she  allowed  the  illustrious 
Spenser  to  languish  in  poverty.  Ralegh,  like  many  men 
of  genius,  in  youth  expended  the  exuberance  of  a  power- 
ful mind  in  verses  which  add  but  little  honor  to  his  great 
name,  except  as  they  show  the  versatility  of  his  talents, 
and  the  enthusiasm  of  his  sentiments.  Early  in  life  he 
wrote  commendatory  stanzas  to  Gascoigne's  "  Steel  Glass? 
dated  from  the  Temple:  the  "Silent  Lover"  and  the 
" Excuse"  followed  at  intervals ;  but  the  only  masterly 

*  Oldya,  145.    Note  in  Ibid,  from  a  MS.  in  Harleian.    B.  H.  90.  c.  ? 
fol.  672. 
t  Fuller's  Worthies  of  Devon. 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  23 

poem  "  The  Farewell,"  and  most  of  his  admirable  prose 
works,  were  not  composed  till  the  beginning  of  the  seven- 
teenth century. 

But  though  the  graces  and  accomplishments  of  Ralegh 
might  amuse  the  fancy  of  Elizabeth,  they  could  not  win 
her  confidence,  which  was  never  thoughtlessly  nor  indis- 
criminately bestowed.  She  soon  became  sensible  of  the 
acuteness  of  his  understanding,  in  the  progress  of  a  dis- 
pute which  was  argued  between  him  and  Lord  Grey,  in 
presence  of  the  council.  The  grounds  of  this  quarrel  have 
not  transpired,  and  have  been  variously  represented ;  but 
the  merits  of  Ralegh's  cause  may  be  implied,  from  his  gain- 
ing a  decision  in  his  favor  against  the  veteran  soldier  and 
statesman. 

This  circumstance  made  a  great  impression  upon  the 
public,  who  probably  expected  a  different  result :  but  merit, 
at  courts,  without  patronage,  resembles  a  fine  plant  in  an 
ungenial  soil.  Yet  were  there  some  generous  spirits  who 
prized  Ralegh's  attainments,  and  sought  to  make  others 
prize  them  also ;  such  was  Sir  Philip  Sidney,  the  first  Eng- 
lish commoner  that  ever  received  the  offer  of  a  foreign 
crown.  But  that  he  was  calculated  to  ascend  the  throne 
of  Poland  was  scarcely  more  honorable  to  him,  than  tho 
distinction  accorded  unanimously  by  his  contemporaries,  as 
the  pattern  of  English  gentlemen ;  the  soldier  perfected 
into  a  hero  by  Christian  principles,  which  men  in  those 
times,  and  indeed  in  latter  days,  have  strangely  thought 
incompatible  with  warlike  pursuits. 

More  favored  by  the  circumstances  of  his  birth  than  Ra- 
legh, so  far  as  advancement  at  court  was  concerned,  Sid- 
ney had  received  an  education  somewhat  similar  to  that 
of  his  friend,  had  passed  through  the  same  scenes,  and  had 
participated  in  the  same  interests.  There  was,  however,  a 
wide  discrepancy  between  their  fortunes,  and  the  apparent 
chance  which  each  possessed  of  being  numbered  among 
the  fortunate  and  great  of  their  nation.  The  father  of 
Sidney,  the  early  companion  of  Edward  VI.,  and  succes- 
sively the  trusted  servant  of  Queen  Mary  and  of  Elizabeth, 
had  means  of  promoting  the  elevation  of  his  son,  of  which 
'he  remote  situation,  and  reduced  estate,  of  Ralegh's  fa- 
ther, prohibited  the  expectation.  Brought  up  from  his 
cradle  to  anticipate  the  patronage  of  sovereigns,  and  re- 
ceiving  his  very  Christian  name  from  Philip  of  Spain, 


24  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

young  Sidney  was  sent,  after  college,  to  perfect  his  educa- 
tion by  intercourse  with  foreign  nations ;  but  with  difficulty 
escaped  the  horrors  of  the  massacre  of  St.  Bartholomew, 
by  taking  refuge  in  the  house  of  Sir  Francis  Walsinghanij 
then  our  ambassador  at  the  court  of  Charles  IX.  It  is  not 
improbable,  that  during  this  eventful  visit  to  France,  hi3 
intimacy  with  Ralegh  was  formed,  a  tie  which  was  never 
relinquished  until  annihilated  by  the  early  death  of 
Sidney. 

Entering  thus  into  life  with  such  unequal  prospects  of 
success,  these  highly-gifted  youths  were,  however,  en- 
dowed severally  with  a  proportion  of  intellectual  power, 
which  made  the  balance  even.  Much  may  be  allowed  for 
the  necessity  for  arduous  exertion,  which  in  the  one  case 
might  reasonably  be  supposed  to  have  stimulated  a  mind 
capable  naturally  of  strong  efforts.  But  the  talents  of  Sir 
Philip  Sidney  were  rather  elegant  than  powerful,  and  the 
character  of  his  mind  that  of  generous  enthusiasm  rather 
than  of  determined  perseverance.  He  was  formed,  indeed, 
more  for  the  ornament  and  the  idol  than  for  the  benefit  of 
society,  and  was  more  the  hero  of  romance  than  the  bene- 
factor of  his  country.  Nurtured,  also,  in  the  bosom  of 
prosperity,  and  having  his  fortunes  created  by  his  father, 
Sidney  had  not  the  patience  to  brook  those  irritations,  nor 
the  art  to  conceal  those  natural  emotions  which  are  gene- 
rally suppressed  at  courts.  His  romance  of  the  Arcadia 
was  composed,  as  it  is  well  known,  in  a  season  of  retirement, 
occasioned  by  an  affront  given  to  his  jealous  notions  of 
honor.  That  very  composition,  unduly  extolled  in  his  own 
time  and  too  greatly  depreciated  in  ours,  bespeaks  a  mind 
more  replete  with  poetical  associations  than  strong  in  origi- 
nal genius,  or  polished  by  sedulous  culture. 

Endowed,  however,  with  enough  of  Ralegh's  spirit  and 
attainments  to  prize  and  to  comprehend  him  ;  and  display- 
ing an  exemption  from  the  meaner  passions,  and  a  degree 
of  disinterestedness  which  rendered  him,  in  a  moral  point 
of  view,  far  superior  to  his  friend  ;  Sidney  possessed  means 
and  opportunities  of  assisting  his  young  associate  in  hia 
progress  to  fame  ;  and  he  is  supposed  to  have  generously 
availed  himself  of  them  by  introducing  him  to  the  Earl  of 
Leicester,  uncle,  on  the  maternal  side,  to  Sidney.*     The 

*  Sir  Henry  Sidney  married  Mary,  eldest  daughter  of  John  Dudley 
Duke  of  Northumberland. 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  25 

personal  credit  of  Sidney  was  at  this  time  great  with  Eliz- 
abeth, but  his  influence  through  Leicester  was  still  mors 
considerable.  Never  were  there  characters  so  dissimilar, 
as  those  of  the  uncle  and  nephew,  who  were  united,  not 
only  by  ties  of  consanguinity,  but  by  an  affectionate  confi- 
dence on  the  part  of  Sidney,  whose  spirited  work  in  de- 
fence of  his  relative  against  the  libel  entitled  Leicester's 
Commonwealth,  was  both  an  acceptable  tribute  to' the  earl, 
and  a  proof  of  Sidney's  devotion  to  that  nobleman. 

The  empire  of  Leicester  at  court  was,  at  this  time,  gene- 
rally considered  as  indisputable.  The  object  rather  of 
Elizabeth's  passionate  admiration  than  of  her  affection, 
Leicester  had  long  held  an  imperious  sway  over  the  pri- 
vate regards  of  that  princess.  Her  attachment  to  him  has 
been  a  subject  of  wonder  to  contemporaries  and  to  pos- 
terity. His  merits  as  a  statesman  and  commander  were 
doubtful,  his  crimes  were  more  than  suspected.*     Unhap- 

*  His  guilt,  with  regard  to  the  death  of  Amy  Robsart,  his  wife,  was 
so  generally  believed,  that  a  universal  sensation  of  horror  attended  the 
preaching  of  her  funeral  sermon  at  Oxford,  by  one  of  Leicester's  chap- 
lains, who,  instead  of  saying  as  he  intended,  "this  lady  so  pitifully 
killed,"  slipped  out  the  word  "  murdered,"  a  mistake  which  confirmed 
the  general  opinion,  and  that  her  falling  down  the  stairs  of  Cumnor 
Hall  "  without  hurting  of  her  hood,"  was  not  accidental. — See  Osborne's 
Trad.  Memoirs  of  Queen  Elizabeth,  vol.  188.  note. 

This  lady,  Amy  Robsart,  was  the  daughter  of  Sir  John  Robsart,  and 
was  a  great  heiress.  Her  death  happened  in  1560,  at  a  period  when  he 
was  thought  likely  to  aspire  to  the  favor  of  two  queens,  Mary  of  Scots 
and  Elizabeth.  By  the  inquest  held  upon  her  body,  John  Walpole,  Esq., 
ancestor  to  the  earl  of  Walpole,  was  found  to  be  the  rightful  heir  to  her 
estate.  Those  who  are  curious  to  know  more  of  her  mysterious  history 
should  consult  Aubrey's  Antiquities  of  Berkshire,  vol.  i.  p.  149,  from 
which  Osborne  has  probably  borrowed  the  foregoing  anecdote. 

This  unfortunate  lady  was  not,  perhaps,  the  most  to  be  pitied  of  Lei- 
cester's victims.  Sir  Walter  Scott  has  blended  into  his  admirable,  but 
heart-rending,  novel  of  Kenilworth,  her  story  with  that  of  Douglas  How- 
ard, Lady  Sheffield,  whose  first  husband  died  suddenly  of  a  severe  cold, 
called  by  the  scandalous  "  Leicester's  rheum."  This  lady  bore  Leicester 
a  son  and  a  daughter,  but  he  sedulously  kept  their  supposed  marriage  a 
secret,  allowing  her,  at  the  same  time,  to  be  served  as  a  countess  in  her 
chamber,  and  subscribing  himself  her  "loving  husband."  After  this, 
when  he  publicly  married  the  countess  dowager  of  Essex  (whose  husband 
it  was  reported  he  had  also  poisoned),  these  two  ladies  were  styled  Lord 
Leicester's  two  "  testaments,"  Lady  Sheffield  being  the  old,  and  Lady 
Essex  the  new.  His  first  wife  still  asserting  her  claims,  he  had  an  in- 
terview  with  her  in  an  arbor  in  Greenwich  Gardens,  where,  in  the  pres- 
ence cf  witnesses,  he  offered  her  j£?00  a-year  to  desist  from  her  attacks  ; 
but  she  still  persisting,  he  carried  his  vengeance  upon  her  so  far,  she 
was  obliged  for  protection  to  accept  the  hand  of  Sir  Edward  Stafford; 
offering  as  an  excuse  for  this  virtual  renunciation  of  her  claims,  that 
ehe  had  had  potions  given  her  which  took  away  her  hair  and  nails. 
(Biographia,  art.  Dudley.)    With  all  this,  Leicester  assumed  the  air  of  a 


26  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

pil\  for  his  country,  his  brilliant  career  had  obliterated  the 
impression  which  his  dark  deeds  had  made  upon  the  public 
mind,  and  had  silenced  the  imputations  of  cowardice  some- 
times cast  upon  him.  Yet,  in  the  language  of  one  who 
personally  knew  him,  Leicester  was  esteemed  to  be  "  more 
of  Mercury  than  of  Mars  ;"*  and  while  the  partiality  of 
Elizabeth  induced  her  to  intrust  him  with  commissions  of 
the  greatest  importance,  he  never  had  the  confidence  ot 
the  people.f  It  is  doubtful  whether  he  also  possessed  the 
respect  of  Elizabeth  in  so  great  a  degree  as  her  conduct 
towards  him  seemed  to  imply.  Her  infatuation  for  him 
was  devoid  of  that  delicate  and  confiding  attachment 
which  alone  can  give  stability  to  such  ties.  This  was  ap- 
parent after  his  death,  when,  with  an  avidity  natural  to 
her  coarse  mind,  she  seized  upon  a  portion  of  his  goods, 
which  were  offered  to  public  sale,  in  order  to  repay  herself 
for  some  debt  due  to  her  from  the  deceased  nobleman.} 
While  to  the  world  she  appeared  wholly  devoted  to  Lei- 
cester, it  is  probable  that  the  earl,  who  knew  the  female 
character  well,  may  have  been  conscious  of  the  insecurity 
of  his  station  in  her  regard,  and  of  the  hollowness  of  that 
affection  which  followed  him  not  to  the  tomb.  This  secret 
perception  rendered  him  peculiarly  sensible  to  the  dread 
of  rivalship.  When  Ralegh  first  appeared  at  court,  the 
gleams  of  royal  favor  were  sometimes  supposed  to  fall 
abundantly  upon  the  avowed  enemy  of  Leicester,  Hunsdon, 
earl  of  Sussex,  a  stout  English  peer,  whose  influence  over 
Elizabeth  showed  how  often  the  same  character  may  be 
acted  upon  by  qualities  totally  opposite :  for  Sussex  was 
honest,  and  therefore  fearless,  proud  of  his  relationship  to 
the  queen,  and  of  his  descent  from  a  long  line  of  illustrious 
Fitzwalters ;  and  on  that  account  more  acceptable  to  the 
people  than  Leicester,  whose  lineage  recalled  the  recol- 
lection of  the  Dudley,  the  detested  agent  of  Henry  the 
Seventh.  Too  unguarded  for  a  courtier,  and  too  unbend- 
ing for  a  favorite,  Sussex  felt  all  his  life  the  ascendency  of 


saint.  "  I  never,"  says  Naunton,  "  saw  letters  more  seeming  religioui 
than  his." 

*  Naunton's  Regalia,  p.  14. 

t  The  diplomatic  corps  ought  to  be  much  indebted  to  him,  as  having 
been  the  first  to  assume,  when  ambassador  in  the  Low  Countries,  th» 
fcighsounding  title  of"  Excellency." — Biographic:,  note. 

f  Note  in  Hume,  8vo.  vol.  v.  p.  317. 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  21 

ljek  ester,  and  on  his  death-bed,  bade  his  friends  beware 
of  "  the  Gipsy  ;"  a  name  which  he  had  given  to  the  earl, 
and  then  esteemed  to  be  one  of  peculiar  opprobrium*  :  so 
equally  poised,  indeed,  was  the  apparent  influence  which 
Leicester  and  Sussex  were  supposed  to  possess  at  court, 
that  the  introduction  of  Ralegh  to  the  especial  notice  of 
the  queen  has  been  attributed  to  both  these  noblemen.  It 
was  not,  however,  long,  before  Leicester  began  to  dread 
his  advances,  and  determined  to  oppose  his  career  by  the 
introduction  of  a  new  rival.  This  was  Robert  Devereux, 
earl  of  Essex,  a  man  far  inferior  to  Ralegh  in  natural  abili 
ties,  and  in  cultivation  of  mind ;  but  gifted  with  disposi- 
tions far  too  generous  and  noble  for  the  part  which  he  had  to 
perform  in  life.  Various  circumstances  conspired  to  estab- 
lish Essex  as  the  idol  of  the  people,  and  of  his  sovereign  , 
and  Ralegh  found  it,  perhaps,  difficult  to  forgive  the  suc- 
cess which  frustrated  his  own  rise  to  greatness.  Yet, 
whilst  the  prosperity  of  Ralegh  was  less  dazzling,  it  was 
more  secure  than  that  of  the  unfortunate  Essex.  Sincere 
and  well-intentioned,  yet  vain,  presumptuous,  and  self- 
willed,  the  faults  of  Essex  operated  chiefly  to  his  own  in- 
jury, and  even  his  virtues  appeared  to  add  to  the  dangers 
by  which  he  was  surrounded.  His  popularity  was  greater 
than  that  of  any  British  nobleman  of  his  time,  and  was  the 
source  of  much  ill-will  towards  him,  on  the  part  of  many 
of  his  equals ;  Ralegh,  on  the  other  hand,  either  avoided 
public  applause,  as  dangerous,  or  disregarded  it  as  unim- 
portant. "  Seek  not  to  be  Essex,  shun  to  be  Ralegh,"  was 
the  wise  counsel  of  the  elder  Lord  Burleigh  to  his  son ; 
thus  designating  those  persons  as  representing  the  two  ex- 
tremes of  popularity  and  of  public  aversion.  Yet  Essex  and 
Ralegh  both  died  upon  a  scaffold :  so  difficult  is  it  to  steer 
clear  of  the  quicksands  on  which  despotism  hurries  its 
victims. 

In  1583,  Ralegh  was  employed  by  Queen  Elizabeth  to 
ttend  Simier,  the  agent  of  the  Duke  of  Anjou,  in  his  ad- 
dresses to  Elizabeth,  on  his  return  to  France  ;  and  afterwards 
to  attend  the  duke  to  Antwerp.f  The  Queen  accompanied 
her  foreign  suitor  as  far  as  Canterbury,  and  commanded 
certain  of  her  nobility  to  continue  their  attendance  upon 
the  Duke,  until  they  reached  the  Nether.  ands.|     It  haa 

*  Naunton,  p.  15.  tCayley,  i.  p.  43.  J  Camden's  Eliz.  342. 


28  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

been  asserted,  in  the  famous  work  entitled  Leicester's! 
Commonwealth,  that  the  Earl,  to  revenge  himself  on  Si  ■ 
mier  for  the  discovery  of  his  marriage  to  Queen  Elizabeth, 
employed  pirates  to  sink  the  Frenchman  and  his  compan- 
ions at  sea,  but  that  they  were  prevented  by  some  English 
vessels.  If  this  assertion  were  true,  Ralegh  must  have 
shared  in  the  perils  thus  prepared  for  Simier.* 

Dissatisfied,  probably  with  the  routine  of  a  courtier's 
life,  and  aware  that  his  real  credit  was  best  to  be  promoted 
by  exertion,  Ralegh  soon  evinced  impatience  to  be  again 
in  action ;  and  resolved  to  make  a  second  voyage  to  New- 
foundland, in  conjunction  with  Sir  Humphrey  Gilbert,  in 
which  his  personal  services  should  be  employed.  With 
this  intention,  he  built  a  ship  of  two  hundred  tons ;  named 
it  the  Bark  Ralegh ;  equipped  it  for  the  voyage,  in  which 
he  purposed  acting  as  vice-admiral ;  Sir  Humphrey  being 
the  general  of  the  expedition.  This  respected  commander 
was,  in  fact,  the  very  soul  of  the  undertaking,  which,  by 
his  credit  alone,  received  contributions  of  ships,  men,  and 
money,  from  new  adventurers  in  the  voyage  to  Newfound- 
land. Encouraged  by  the  assistance  of  his  friends,  Sir 
Humphrey  was  assured  also  of  the  Queen's  regard,  by  her 
presenting  him,  as  a  token  of  her  approbation,  with  a  small 
anchor  of  beaten  gold,  with  a  large  pearl  at  the  peak,  an 
ornament  which  he  wore  ever  afterwards  at  his  breast.  In 
the  patent  which  Her  Majesty  had  granted  to  him  for  the 
discovery  of  foreign  parts,  a  clause  was  inserted,  by  which 
it  was  rendered  void  if,  at  the  end  of  six  years,  no  new 
possession  were  gained.f  It  was  therefore  of  importance, 
that  no  unnecessary  delay  should  impede  the  departure  of 
Sir  Humphrey  and  his  associates  for  those  remote  regions, 
which  they  fondly  hoped  to  add  to  the  British  colonies. 

The  fleet  assembled,  upon  this  occasion,  consisted  of 
five  sail,  and  the  united  officers  and  crews  amounted  to 
two  hundred  and  sixty  men.  Among  these  were  artificers 
of  every  kind,  besides  miners  and  gold  refiners ;  nor  were 
they,  according  to  the  account  of  Captain  Hayes,  of  all  the 
commanders  the  only  one  who  returned  from  Newfound- 
land to  relate  the  sad  disasters  of  this  fatal  voyage,  desti- 
tute of  "  Musike  in  good  variety :  not  omitting  the  least 
toyes,  as  Morris  dancers,  hobby-horse,  and  day-like  con- 

*  Camd.  year  1582.  t  Biog.  art.  Gilbert. 


LIFE  OP  SIR  WALT  ER  RALEGH.  29 

ceits,  to  delight  the  savage  people,  whom  we  intended  tc 
winne  by  all  fair  means  possible."* 

The  Bark  Ralegh,  which  was  the  largest  vessel  of  the 
expedition,  set  sail  from  Plymouth  on  the  11th  of  June, 
1583,  bit  had  not  been  many  days  at  sea,  before  it  ,  -s„ 
was  discovered  that  a  contagious  fever  had  seized 
the  whole  crew ;  and  Ralegh,  with  its  captain  and  crew, 
were  obliged  to  return  to  harbor.  Providence  appears, 
however,  in  this  event,  to  have  afforded  peculiar  protection 
to  the  ship,  and  to  its  commander.  Ralegh  had  indeed  the 
mortification  of  leaving  Sir  Humphrey  Gilbert  to  finish  the 
enterprise  without  him.  That  gallant  officer  reached 
Newfoundland,  of  which,  by  the  usual  form  of  digging  up 
a  turf,  and  receiving  it  with  a  hazel  wand,  he  took  posses- 
sion, in  right  of  the  discovery  made  by  Cabot :  planted  the 
first  British  colony  there,  discovered  a  silver  mine,  divided 
some  portion  of  the  lands  among  his  followers,  and  began 
his  voyage  home,  in  the  joyful  expectation  of  further  en- 
couragement from  Queen  Elizabeth,  f  But  this  brave  man 
was  destined  never  to  return  to  his  native  country.  The 
ship  in  which  he  had  stored  the  silver  ore,  which  he  de- 
signed to  show  as  a  specimen,  was  lost ;  and,  before  he  had 
passed  the  Azores,  tempestuous  weather  and  terrible  seas 
sank  the  spirits  of  the  sailors,  who,  in  the  true  spirit  of  the 
superstitious  fears  to  which  they  are  prone,  reported  that 
they  had  heard  strange  voices  in  the  night,  scaring  them 
from  the  helm.  Even  the  principal  officers  were  alarmed 
for  the  safety  of  Sir  Humphrey,  who  had  imprudently 
chosen  to  sail  in  the  Squirrel,  a  small  frigate.  In  vain  did 
his  friends  entreat  him  to  change  his  vessel,  and  to  come 
on  board  the  Hinde,  the  largest  ship  of  the  squadron. 
The  honor  of  the  dauntless  Sir  Gilbert  had,  unhappily, 
been  touched  by  the  imputation  of  cowardice,  a  report 
false,  as  it  was  cruel.  He  persisted  therefore  in  remaining 
at  his  post,  saying,  "  I  will  not  desert  my  little  company, 
with  whom  I  have  passed  so  many  storms  and  perils ;"  nor 
would  he  remain  on  board  the  Hinde,  except  for  a  short 
time,  for  the  purpose  of  a  convivial  meeting  with  the  offi- 
cers, their  last  interview ;  and  they  parted,  agreeing  that 
all  the  captains  should  give  orders  to  hang  out  lights  a* 


*  Hikluyt,  iii.  149. 

t  Hakluyt's  Voyages,  folio  159  ;  also  Camden,  Elias.  4f  i. 

C2 


30  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

night.  Meanwhile  the  dangers  thickened;  the  oldest 
mariners  declared  that  they  had  never  witnessed  such 
seas ;  the  winds  changing  incessantly,  the  waves,  in  the 
simple  language  of  a  spectator,  "  breaking  high,  and  pyra- 
mid-wise." The  hearts  of  the  most  courageous  were  ap- 
palled by  a  meteor,  common  in  storms,  which  the  seamen 
consider  to  be  an  apparition  of  fatal  import,  and  which 
they  call  "  Castor  and  Pollux."  Once,  the  anxious  com- 
pany of  the  Hinde  beheld  the  frigate  nearly  cast  away 
then  again  it  approached  them,  and  they  saw  Sir  Hum- 
phrey sitting  on  the  mainmast,  with  a. book  in  his  hand,  ex- 
claiming, as  he  regarded  his  companions  in  distress,  "  We 
are  as  near  heaven  by  water  as  by  land."  Suddenly  the 
lights  were  extinguished;  those  who  kept  watch  cried 
aloud  that  all  was  over,  and,  in  the  morning,  the  frigate 
was  beheld  no  more.*  Thus  died  one,  who  was  a  loss,  not 
only  to  the  active  service  of  his  country,  but  to  the  inter- 
ests of  nautical  science.  His  principal  work,  "  A  Discourse 
to  prove  the  Existence  of  a  Passage  by  the  north-west,  to 
Cathaia  and  the  East  Indies,"  is  written,  according  to  the 
opinion  of  competent  judges,  with  accuracy,  perspicuity, 
and  arrangement.  In  another  treatise,  he  suggested  the 
invention  of  a  spherical  instrument,  for  the  better  know- 
ledge of  the  longitude,  and  amended  the  usual  errors  of  Sca- 
cards.j  But  he  has  been  erroneously  confounded  with  his 
namesake,  Sir  Humphrey  Gilbert,  who,  in  the  reign  of 
Henry  the  Seventh,  made  several  voyages  of  discovery, 
projected  the  passage  of  Cathaia,  and  made  many  valuable 
maps  and  charts,  which  were  long  preserved  in  White- 
iall.t 

The  pursuits,  acquirements,  and  principles  of  action  of 
Sir  Humphrey,  may  be  presumed  to  have  been  imitated  by 
his  young  relative,  Ralegh,  who  improved  upon  his  schemes, 
and  in  many  respects  seems  to  have  imbibed  his  sentiments. 
It  was  not  only  the  precept  of  Sir  Humphrey,  but  his  rule 
of  conduct,  "  That  he  is  not  worthy  to  live  at  all,  who,  for 
fear  or  danger  of  death,  shunneth  his  country's  service,  or 
his  own  honor ;'  for  death  is  inevitable,  and  fame  immortal." 
In  consonance  with  this  noble  maxim,  but  exercising  il 
perhaps  too  rigidly,  he  perished. 


*  See  Mr.  Edward  Hayes'  narrative,  Hakluyt,  vol.  Hi.  143  to  J59. 
t  Note  in  Biographia.  J  Note  in  Oldys,  p.  22. 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  31 

The  details  of  the  voyage  were  brought  home  by  the 
captain  of  the  Hinde,  which  reached  England  in  safety ; 
but  Ralegh,  though  grieved  at  the  loss  of  his  friend  and 
associate,  lost  no  time  in  forming  schemes  for  a  fresh  un- 
dertaking ;  and,  in  consequence  of  a  representation  which 
he  laid  before  the  Queen  and  council,  he  obtained  letters 
patent,  empowering  him  to  "  discover  such  remote,  heathen, 
and  barbarous  lands  as  were  not  actually  possessed  by  any 
Christian,  nor  inhabited  by  any  Christian  people."  So  in- 
distinct were  the  notions  which  even  the  most  cultivated 
minds,  in  this  country,  at  that  time,  entertained  of  geogra- 
phy, that,  in  this  and  in  some  other  patents  of  that  period, 
there  was  neither  mention  of  any  particular  part  of  the 
globe,  nor  of  any  latitude  or  longitude  fixed  for  the  planta- 
tion proposed.* 

That  the  entire  merit  of  this  project  is  due  to  Ralegh,  is 
a  matter  of  considerable  doubt.  In  conjunction  with  Sir 
Humphrey  Gilbert,  he  has  the  merit  of  being  the  first  Eng- 
lish adventurer  that  took  out  men  as  settlers  to  foreign  re- 
gions ;  but  it  has  been  supposed,  with  some  appearance  of 
probability,  that  Sir  Humphrey's  first  expedition  was  di- 
rected to  that  particular  territory  which  received  the  name 
of  Virginia.  For,  in  the  house  of  Ralegh  Gilbert,  the  son 
of  the  unfortunate  general,  was  a  picture  conjectured  to 
have  been  intended  for  Sir  Humphrey,  holding  in  one  hand 
a  general's  staff,  and  resting  the  other  upon  a  globe,  with 
the  word  Virginia  inscribed  on  it,  whilst  the  noted  golden 
anchor  is  seen  suspended  from  his  dress.f  It  has  been 
also  surmised,  that  the  name  of  Virginia  was  applied  to 
that  country  some  years  previous  to  the  enterprise  for 
which  Ralegh  oDtained  letters  patent.  It  is  evident  that 
the  plan  had  been  a  considerable  time  in  agitation,  from 
the  promptitude  with  which  Ralegh  began  it ;  a  degree  of 
dispatch  which  it  would  have  been  scarcely  possible  to 
have  adopted,  in  a  novel  and  undigested  scheme. 

It  is  said  that  the  favorite  studies  of  Ralegh's  youth, 
were  the  discoveries  of  Columbus,  and  the  histories  of  the 
conquests  of  Pizarro,  Fernando  Cortes,  and  of  other  Span- 
ish adventurers  in  the  reign  of  Charles  V.f_  With  this  pe- 
suliar  direction  of  his  ideas  and  hopes,  it  might  almost 

*  Anderson's  History  of  Commerce,  vol.  ii.  p.  158. 
See  note  Oldys,  answered  in  Biographia,  art.  Gilbert.        J  Oldys,  22. 


32  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

have  been  expected,  that  he  would  have  sought  a  persona* 
participation  in  those  exertions  which  his  enthusiastic  tem- 
per might  consider  as  certain  to  lead  to  glory.  But  the 
recent  death  of  his  relation,  and  the  variety  of  his  civil  oc- 
cupations, together  with  his  present  want  of  experience  in 
navigation,  account  for  his  intrusting  his  arduous  specula- 
tions in  other  hands. 

The  project  was  eminently  successful.  Ralegh  had  as- 
certained from  pilots  and  other  seamen  who  had  sailed  in 
Spanish  vessels  to  Mexico,  that,  on  returning,  as  they 
usually  did,  by  the  Havannah  and  the  Gulf  of  Florida,  a 
continued  coast  on  the  north-west  had  been  observed  :  and, 
adding  to  this  information  the  fact,  that  the  Spaniards  had 
hitherto  settled  only  on  the  middle  and  southern  parts  of 
America,  he  formed  the  natural  conclusion  that  there  were 
yet  vast  tracts  to  the  north  undiscovered.  We  all  know 
that  his  conjecture  was  true  to  a  much  greater  extent  than 
he  probably  conceived. 

The  risk  on  this  scheme  was  entirely  his  own :  he  fitted 
out  two  vessels,  and  intrusting  them  to  the  charge  of  able 
commanders,  dispatched  them  by  the  Canaries  and  Wesl 
Indies,  then  the  usual  route  to  North  America.  The  two 
captains,  after  a  passage  of  more  than  two  months,  reached 
the  Gulf  of  Florida ;  and,  landing  on  the  island  of  Woko 
ken,  took  formal  possession  in  the  name  of  their  Queen 
and  making  acquaintance  with  the  natives  of  that  region 
brought  two  of  them  back  to  England.  On  theii  return 
they  imparted  so  favorable  a  report  of  the  climate  and  soil 
that  Elizabeth  was  induced  to  listen  to  the  plan  of  settling 
a  colony  there ;  and  Ralegh  was  commanded  to  name  the 
new  acquisition  Virginia,  in  honor  of  his  sovereign.  This 
appellation  was  since  given  to  all  the  coasts  of  North 
America  upon  which  the  English  afterwards  colonized. 
The  part  discovered  by  Ralegh  is  now  called  Carolina.* 

By  various  successive  voyages  under  Adrian  Gilbert  and 
Sir  Richard  Grenville,  the  fame  of  Ralegh's  discovery  of 
Virginia  was  kept  alive  in  the  public  mind  ;  and,  at  length, 
a  colony  of  a  hundred  and  seven  persons,  among  whom  was 
Herriot  the  mathematician,  was  established  at  Roanok,  in 
Virginia.  Shortly  afterwards,  Ralegh,  having  joined  the 
celebrated  Davis  and  other  public-spirited  persons,  in  an 

*  Steuoison's  Historical  Sketch  of  the  Progress  of  Discovery,  p.  356. 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  3S 

association  for  the  discovery  of  the  north-west  passage  to 
China,  he  had  the  good  fortune  to  be  concerned  in  the 
investigation  of  Davis'  Straits  ;  and  Mount  Ralegh,  near 
that  important  channel,  was  named  as  a  tribute  of  respect 
to  him.* 

Ralegh  was  now  in  the  zenith  of  his  prosperity.  His  first 
expedition  to  Virginia  was  rewarded  by  knighthood,  a  dis- 
tinction which  Elizabeth  prized  so  highly,  that  when  im- 
portuned to  raise  one  of  her  courtiers  from  a  knight  to  a 
baron,  she  declared  that  she  "  thought  him  above  it 
already."!  Rich  prizes  and  important  captures  were  car- 
ried home  in  triumph  by  his  privateers  ;  and  had  Ralegh's 
chief  desire  been  wealth,  it  might  have  been  abundantly 
gratified.  To  crown  his  felicity,  he  had  the  gratification 
of  seeing  his  honors  bloom  around  him  in  his  native  soil, 
whence  he  had  passed  into  the  busy  world,  to  create  his 
own  fortunes.  He  was  chosen,  in  1584,  to  represent  the 
county  of  Devon  in  parliament ;  and  subsequently  appointed 
seneschal  of  the  duchies  of  Cornwall  and  Devon,  and  ,  ,-qfi 
Lord  Warden  of  the  Stannaries.  The  Queen,  also,  lt,Sb- 
granted  him  the  privilege  of  licensing  the  vending  of  wines 
throughout  the  kingdom, — a  very  lucrative  office,  which  it 
was  not  thought  incompatible  with  the  highest  rank  to  exer- 
cise. And  as  riches  and  honors  are  apt  to  take  wings  and 
fly  away,  the  Queen  gave  him  a  less  perishable  present  in 
a  portion  of  the  land  forfeited  in  Cork  and  Waterford, 
during  the  rebellion  recently  suppressed  in  Munster.  This 
estate,  extending  over  twelve  thousand  acres,  was  planted 
by  Ralegh  ;  but  not  being  fitted  for  his  own  residence,  was 
sold  to  Richard  Boyle,  afterwards  Earl  of  Cork.  Thus 
Ralegh,  like  most  of  Elizabeth's  favorites,  was  rewarded 
without  the  slightest  encroachment  either  upon  the  ex- 
chequer or  the  queen's  privy  purse.  It  is  highly  to  his 
credit  that  he  subsequently  freely  bestowed  upon  his  coun- 
try what  he  had  diligently  gained  in  her  service. 

Ralegh  had,  during  this  period  of  his  life,  intervals  of 
repose},  in  which  he  proved  that  no  patronage  was  necessary 
to  raise  him  to  fame.  Among  the  most  prominent  qualities 
of  his  mind  was  application ;  by  this  he  was  enabled  to  im- 
prove the  limited  portion  of  time  which  he  could  allot  to 


*  Birch,  vol.  i.  14. 

f  Osborn's  Traditional  Memoirs  of  Queen  Elizabeth,  vol.  i.  p.  84. 


34  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH 

general  studies,  so  as  to  become  one  of  the  most  elegant 
and  powerful  writers,  one  of  the  most  philosophical  ana 
diligent  historians  of  his  country.  To  reading,  Rulegh 
assigned  four  hours  only ;  to  sleep,  five ;  allowing  the  re- 
mainder of  his  day  to  business ;  reserving,  however,  two 
hours  for  relaxation  and  discourse,  being  aware  how  salu- 
tary, if  not  essential  to  the  mind,  is  that  recreation  which 
refreshes  without  enervating  the  intellectual  system.  In 
this  systematic  arrangement,  he  found  time  to  cultivate  the 
fine  arts.  In  music  he  was  a  proficient ;  and  to  painting 
he  showed  his  partiality  by  a  liberal  patronage.*  In  ora- 
tory Ralegh  also  excelled ;  so  that  neither  the  originality 
of  his  ideas,  nor  the  depth  of  his  knowledge,  were  con- 
cealed by  a  tame  or  imperfect  mode  of  conveying  them  to 
others.  To  extend  to  all,  the  advantages  which  he  himself 
enjoyed,  was  a  favorite  scheme  of  this  great  man ;  and 
with  a  view  to  promote  the  circulation  of  knowledge,  he 
set  up  an  office  of  address,  to  which  the  industrious  and 
curious  might  apply  for  information  of  every  species.  Of 
this  institution  little  has  transpired,  except  a  passage  from 
the  pen  of  the  celebrated  Evelyn.  In  a  letter  to  the  Earl 
of  Clarendon,  he  remarks  upon  "  that  long-dried  fountain 
of  communication,  which  Montaigne  first  proposed,  Sir 
Walter  Ralegh  put  in  practice,  and  Mr.  Heartlib  endeavored 
to  revive."  The  plan  suggested  by  Montaigne  was,  to 
have  an  office  of  inquiry  in  every  town,  in  which  persons 
might  register  the  kinds  of  information  which  they  wished 
to  possess,  and  their  terms  for  obtaining  it. 

Consistent  with  such  labors  as  these  was  the  laudable 
determination  evinced  by  Ralegh  to  encourage  and  exalt 
those  persons  of  merit  whose  station  or  circumstances 
precluded  their  rising,  unassisted,  to  distinction.  He  sup- 
ported Morgues,  an  eminent  French  painter,  during  his 
residence  in  England  for  the  purpose  of  making  maps  and 
drawings  of  Florida.  He  was  the  friend  and  coadjutor  of 
Richard  Hakluyt.  In  this  industrious  compiler  Ralegh,  in- 
deed, found  one  of  those  indefatigable  enthusiasts  who,  like 
the  astonishing  Leland,  seem  born  to  perpetuate  the  la- 
bors, and  to  transmit  to  posterity  the  fame,  of  others.  It  is 
a  well-known  fact,  that  he  once  rode  two  hundred  miles 


*  Oldy's  Life  of  Ralegh,  p.  48. 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  3S 

to  gain  from  an  eye-witness  the  particulars  of  an  unfortu- 
nate expedition  to  Newfoundland,  in  the  time  of  Henry 
the  Eighth ;  an  account  of  which  he  has  published  in  his 
collection  of  voyages.  It  was  the  incessant  endeavor  of 
Hakiuyt,  not  only  to  preserve  the  histories  of  recent  voyages, 
but  to  rescue  our  naval  antiquities  from  the  dilapidations  of 
time  :  nor  could  the  prospect  of  rising  in  the  clerical  pro- 
fession, of  which  he  was  a  member,  induce  him  to  desert 
his  favorite  topic  for  those  more  closelv  connected  with  his 
spiritual  vocation.  He  spared  neither  labor  nor  expense  in 
pursuit  of  that  knowledge  which  he  desired  to  withdraw 
from  oblivion ;  rescued  from  destruction,  and  transcribed 
many  ancient  manuscripts  of  patents,  privileges,  and  let- 
ters ;  consulted  many  libraries,  and  culled  information  from 
every  source,  both  oral  and  written,  which  he  could  possi- 
bly discover. 

In  these  erudite  investigations  Ralegh,  in  many  in- 
stances, became  a  liberal  and  effective  assistant.  He  lent 
his  aid  to  Hakiuyt,  to  enable  him  to  publish  his  collection 
of  English  voyages.  Hakiuyt,  in  gratitude,  dedicated  to 
Ralegh  several  of  those  works,  the  important  value  of 
which  consists  in  their  being  compiled  from  letters  and 
other  authentic  sources,  not  to  mention  the  constant  com- 
munication which  their  collector  maintained  with  mari- 
ners in  all  quarters.  From  the  last  unfortunate  voyage  to 
Newfoundland,  Hakiuyt,  who  had  some  intention  "of  join- 
ing it,  was,  like  Ralegh,  providentially  preserved.  In  or- 
der to  give  his  sanction,  and  a  greater  degree  of  credit,  to 
the  collection  of  English  voyages,  Ralegh  appointed  Hak- 
iuyt one  of  the  corporation  of  counsellors,  to  whom,  in 
1588,  he  assigned  his  patent  for  the  prosecution  of  the 
North  American  discoveries.*  These  mutual  services 
were  of  great  benefit  to  the  progress  of  maritime  investi- 
gations, and  redounded  to  the  honor  of  both.  The  adven- 
turers in  perilous  enterprise  knew  that  their  daring  ex- 
ploits might  be  raised  into  importance,  and  rescued  from 
obscurity,  by  the  efforts  of  so  faithful  and  learned  a  pre- 
server of  their  transactions  as  Hakiuyt ;  and  thus  the  de- 
sire for  discovery  received  a  fresh  stimulus.  Hakiuyt  was 
rewarded  in  the  manner  which  he  best  loved,  and  had  a 
river  and  a  promontory  in  Greenland  named  after  him, 


*  Biog.  art  Hakiuyt. 


36  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGF.. 

which  are  still  called  hy  his  name.  Hakluyt  was  in  good 
circumstances,  and  required  rather  the  countenance  and 
assistance  of  Ralegh  than  pecuniary  aid.  In  Thomas  Her- 
riot,  a  man  of  obscure  birth  and  humble  fortunes,  Ralegh 
found,  however,  an  object  to  whom  his  bounty  was  impor 
tant.  Herriot  was  the  centre  of  a  little  circle  of  mathe- 
maticians, ingenious,  but  at  that  time  speculative  men, 
whose  pursuits  had,  at  no  very  remote  period,  been  not 
unfrequently  confounded  with  necromancy.*  To  persons 
of  scientific  pursuits,  the  protection  of  some  liberal  patron 
was,  therefore,  in  those  days,  peculiarly  advantageous. 
Ralegh  received  Herriot  into  his  house,  paid  him  a  yearly 
pension,  and  was  instructed  by  him  in  the  science  which 
he  professed,  and  which,  at  that  time,  was  not  considered 
as  the  essential  basis  of  a  liberal  education,  but  which  was 
probably,  in  a  great  measure,  the  foundation  of  Ralegh's 
acquirements  and  science.  At  a  subsequent  period,  Ralegh 
promoted  the  interests  of  his  tutor,  by  introducing  him  to 
Henry  Earl  of  Northumberland,  who,  from  his  love  for 
mathematics,  acquired  the  name  of  Henry  the  Wizardf ; 
and  when  that  accomplished  nobleman  was  confined  in  the 
Tower  for  life,  upon  suspicion  of  being  concerned  in  the 
gunpowder  treason,  Herriot  shared  his  imprisonment,  in 
company  with  two  other  mathematicians,  Warner  and 
Hues.  These  men  had  a  table  at  the  Earl's  charge,  and 
were  called  his  Magi.  J  Herriot  was  the  inventor  of  the  way 
of  notation,  since  universally  used  in  algebra,  and  of  many 
improvements  in  that  science,  the  honor  of  which  was  for 
many  years  attributed  to  Des  Cartes.  Ralegh  availed 
himself  of  his  learning  and  assiduity,  in  employing  him  to 
settle  the  colony  at  Virginia,  whither  he  sent  him  in  1584, 
under  Sir  Richard  Greenville,  with  instructions  to  draw 
up  and  publish  a  topography  of  the  country,  which  was 
published  in  1588. §  It  has  beer,  supposed  that  Herriot 
implanted  in  the  minds  of  both  his  patrons  principles  of 
deism ;  and  the  cruel  disorder,  a  cancer  of  the  lip,  of  which 
he  died,  was  imputed,  by  the  churchmen  of  the  day,  to  a 
judgment  of  Providence.  It  is  not  difficult  to  defend  both 
Raiegh  and  his  master  from  this  charge.     Herriot  is  said 

*  See  Monteil  des  Francaisdes  divers  Etats,  torn,  premier,  p.  17 

t  Fuller's  Worthies. — Collins's  Peerage,  ii.  p.  433. 

t  Wood,  vol.  i.  p.  459  §  Biographja 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  37 

to  have  doubted  the  authenticity  of  the  Mosaic  account  of 
the  creation,  and  to  have  rejected  many  parts  of  the  Old 
•  Testament.  From  this  incredulity,  which  has,  even  in 
more  enlightened  days,  been  unhappily  observed  in  learned 
and  pious  men,  he  was  inferred  to  be  a  Deist* :  yet  he 
dilig-ently  endeavored  to  instil  the  doctrines  of  Christianity 
into  the  minds  of  the  natives  of  Virginia;  and  it  is  far 
more  common  for  those  who  profess  religious  faith  to 
swerve  from  their  tenets  in  practice,  than  it  is  for  those 
who  broach  sentiments  of  infidelity  to  perform  actions 
worthy  of  Christian  motives.  We  cannot  be  far  wrong,  if 
we  allow  to  those  who  seek  to  promote  the  cause  of  Reli- 
gion, some  personal  knowledge  of  her  benignant  influence. 
With  regard  to  Ralegh,  innumerable  passages  in  his 
works ;  his  advice  to  his  son,  his  splendid  conclusion  to  his 
History  of  the  World,  and  many  other  parts  of  that  pro- 
duction, show  a  mind  chastened  and  elevated  by  devotional 
feelings.  It  must,  however,  be  granted,  that  these  were 
the  sentiments  of  his  declining  age,  and  it  is  possible  that, 
in  youth,  his  mind  may  have  been  less  settled  in  points  of 
faith.  The  slightest  acknowledgment  of  a  doubt,  or  even 
the  shadow  of  an  innovation  upon  the  pale  of  orthodoxy, 
was,  in  those  days,  sufficient  to  affix  a  mark  of  reproach 
which  it  was  difficult  to  remove.  "  Ralegh  was  the  first," 
remarks  a  writer  of  the  age,  "  that  ventured  to  tack  about, 
and  to  sail  aloof  from  the  beaten  track  of  the  schools;  and 
who,  upon  the  discovery  of  so  apparent  an  error  as  the  tor- 
rid zone,  intended  to  proceed  in  an  inquisition  after  more 
solid  truths;  till  the  mediation  of  some,  whose  hardihood 
in  hammering  shrines  for  this  superannuated  study,  pos- 
sessed Queen  Elizabeth  that  such  doctrine  was  against 
God,  or  her  father's  honor,  whose  faith  (if  he  owned  any) 
was  grounded  upon  school  divinity  :  whereupon  she  chid 
him,  who  was  (by  his  own  confession)  afterwards  branded 
by  the  title  of  an  Atheist,  though  a  known  asserter  of  God 
and  Providence."! 


*  Wood's  Athen.,  fol.  p.  459. 

t  Osborn's  Miscellany  of  Sunday  Essays,  12mo.  vol.  i.  p.  722. 


38  LIFE  OP  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 


chap.  n. 

Favor  of  Ralegh  commented  upon  by  Tarlel>n. — Further  undertakings  of 
Ralegh. — Virginia. — Tobacco. — The  Spanish  Invasion. — Lord  Howard 
of  Effingham. — Ralegh's  share  in  repelling  the  Armada. — His  visit  tc 
Ireland. — Spenser. — Ralegh's  unpopularity  with  the  Clergy. — Dr.  God- 
win.— Udall. — The  Brownists.— The  Jesuits.— Father  Parsons. — Ra- 
legh's Marriage. — His  Disgrace  at  Court. — His  Vuyage  to  Guiana.- 
Services  in  the  Atlantic  with  Essex. 

,  rr,r>  The  favor  which  Ralegh  at  this  time  enjoyed  at 
court  soon  became  the  subject  of  general  remark, 
and  was  even  noticed  upon  the  stage,  in  such  plain  and 
offensive  terms,  that  Tarleton,  the  most  popular  actor  of 
the  day,  when  playing  before  the  Queen,  pointed  towards 
Ralegh  and  said,  "  See  how  the  knave  commands  the 
Queen !"  Elizabeth  reproved  him  with  a  frown,  and  ban- 
ished him  the  royal  presence,  thus  sacrificing  her  amuse- 
ment to  her  indignation :  yet,  the  audacious  player  had  the 
assurance  to  add,  that  "  Ralegh  was  of  too  much  and  too 
intolerable  a  power;"  a  remark  which  might,  perhaps, 
have  been  pardoned,  had  he  not  persisted  in  his  observa- 
tions, and  extended  them  to  the  Earl  of  Leicester,  his 
riches  and  greatness.*  No  flattering  invitations  to  the  in- 
dolence of  a  courtier's  life  could,  however,  deter  Ralegh 
from  prosecuting  those  important  schemes  which  he  con- 
stantly cherished ;  and,  considering  the  circumstances  of 
the  times,  his  ambitious  and  energetic  disposition  cannot 
be  a  cause  of  wonder. 

The  reign  of  Elizabeth  was  not  only  marked  by  achieve- 
ments of  the  most  adventurous  and  heroic  character,  but 
by  enterprises  which  required  long  and  patient  endurance 
of  hardships,  and  a  frequent  surrender  of  private  interests 
to  the  accomplishment  of  a  great  design.  Preceded  in  the 
period  of  his  undertakings  by  Hawkins  and  by  Drake, 
Ralegh  had  every  inducement  in  the  examples  of  these 
men,  both  from  the  love  of  gain,  and  the  desire  of  honor, 
to  pursue  the  course  they  had  followed.  The  efforts  of 
Sir  lohn  Hawkins,  which  were,  unhappily,  directed  to  es- 
tablish the  detestable  slave  trade,  had  been  rewarded  by 
the  acquisition  of  immense  wealth ;  he  and  his  brother  pos- 

•  Cayley,  1.  note  86  ;  from  BMiun's  Character  of  Queen  Elizabeth. 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  39 

sessing,  in  conjunction,  thirty  ships  of  the  line  ;*  yet  he 
was,  eventually,  unfortunate,  and  died,  soon  afterwards,  of 
a  broken  heart,  in  consequence  of  the  failure  of  an  enter- 
prise in  which  he  had  hoped  to  ransom  his  son,  a  prisoner. 
Drake  was  still  in  the  full  enjoyment  of  a  reputation,, 
which,  while  the  brave  mig'ht  envy,  the  virtuous  must  ap- 
prove. It  was  his  principle  of  action,  in  the  expeditions 
which  he  conducted,  and  which  were  frequently  carried 
on  at  the  expense  of  individuals,  to  regard  the  service  of 
his  country  first ;  next  the  advantage  of  his  proprietors ; 
and  lastly,  his  own  interests.  His  benevolence  was  com- 
mendable, and  led  him  to  assist  Hawkins  in  the  institution 
of  the  Chest,  at  Chatham ;  a  sort  of  saving  bank  in  which 
sailors  might  deposit  their  earnings,  to  form  a  fund  for  the 
sick  and  wounded. 

Incited  by  the  fame  of  these  great  men,  Ralegh  devoted 
a  considerable  portion  of  his  fortunes  to  the  increase  and 
maintenance  of  his  colony  in  Virginia,  and  sent  repeated 
expeditions  to  that  country,  under  the  command  of  Sir 
Richard  Greenville.  But  the  schemes  which  he  endeav- 
ored to  promote  required  more  ample  funds  than  he  pos- 
sessed, and  a  far  more  liberal  patroness  than  Elizabeth. 
He  found  it  advisable,  however,  in  1584,  to  reinforce  the 
colony  by  the  addition  of  a  governor,  and  of  a  hundred  and 
fifteen  persons,  with  instructions  to  build  a  fort  in  the  Bay 
of  Chesapeak.  The  new  settlers  found  that  their  prede- 
cessors had  been,  for  the  most  part,  murdered  by  the  na- 
tives ;  yet,  notwithstanding  this  discouraging  state  of  af- 
fairs, they  contrived  to  re-establish  a  friendly  footing,  and 
resolved  to  replant  themselves  upon  the  vacant  territory. 
They  considered  it  essential,  for  this  purpose,  to  dispatch 
one  of  their  party  to  England  for  a  fresh  supply  of  the  ne- 
cessaries of  life ;  and  the  office  was  undertaken  by  their 
governor,  who  returned  with  the  ships  towards  the  latter 
end  of  the  same  year  in  which  he  had  set  out  for  Virginia. 

Never  was  there  a  more  unfortunate  juncture,  for  the 
formation  of  a  colony,  than  that  in  which  the  governor  of 
Virginia  found  the  affairs  of  England  on  his  arrival. 
Elizabeth,  was,  now,  engaged  in  hostilities  against  Spain ; 
and  so  much  risk  was  hazarded  upon  the  issue  of  the  con- 
test, that,  in  the  words  of  the  King  of  Sweden,  she  seemed 

*  Campbell's  British  Admirals. 


40  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

"  to  have  taken  the  diadem  from  her  head,  and  to  have  ad 
"  ventured  it  upon  the  doubtful  chance  of  war."*  AL 
lesser  considerations  were,  therefore,  disregarded;  and 
Virginia,  the  first  settlement  of  Great  Britain  in  the  New 
World,  was  suffered  to  languish  without  protection.  Ra- 
legh had  prepared  several  ships  to  sail  from  Biddeford,  in 
Devon,  under  the  command  of  the  brave  and  experienced 
Sir  Richard  Greenville  ;  but  they  were  retained  by  order 
of  the  Queen,  and  the  governor  was  allowed  to  sail  with 
se^era^  small  vessels  only,  with  which  be  was  attacked  by 
some  French  ships,  and  obliged  to  return  to  England.  It 
is  not  surprising  that,  after  spending  upon  this  colony  forty 
thousand  pounds,  and  sending  to  its  relief  four  fleets,  fur- 
nished at  his  own  expense,  unassisted  by  the  Queen, 
whose  glory  was  also  concerned  in  the  undertaking,  Ra- 
legh should  have  assigned  his  right  and  title  in  the  settle- 
ment to  certain  merchants  and  gentlemen  of  London ;  re- 
serving to  himself  the  fifth  part  of  the  gold  and  silver  ore 
found  in  the  territory,  contributing  a  hundred  pounds  to- 
wards the  expenses  under  its  new  owners,  and  promising, 
on  all  occasions,  the  further  assistance  of  advice,  f  But 
Virginia,  after  all  the  sums  bestowed  upon  her,  and  the 
valiant  lives  lost  in  her  behalf,  was  almost  wholly  abandon- 
ed during  the  remainder  of  Elizabeth's  reign.J  One  fa- 
miliar custom  recalls  the  formation  of  this  colony  to  hourly 
recollection.  It  is  well  known  that  when  Drake,  on  his 
return  from  the  conquest  of  St.  Domingo  and  other  West 
Indian  islands,  visited  Virginia,  he  brought  home  Lane, 
then  governor  of  the  infant  colony ;  and  in  Lane's  ship 
Tobacco  was  first  conveyed  to  England.  The  prevalent 
usage  of  this  allurement  to  indolence  soon  came  into 
vogue ;  it  was,  probably,  already  familiar  by  report  to  the 
English,  the  Spaniards  having  discovered  the  plant  in 
Yucatan  so  early  as  1520,  and  the  peculiar  use  of  it  for 
smoking  being  common  all  over  America,  at  the  time  of 
♦he  conquest  of  that  country.  In  the  beginning  of  the 
sixteenth  century,  it  was  introduced  into  Portugal  from 
Florida,  by  Hernandez  de  Toledo:  from  Portugal  the 
seeds  were  sent  into  France,  to  Catharine  de  Medicis,  by 
Jean  Nicot,  an  agent  of  Francis  the  Second;  on  which  ac- 

*  Hume's  reign  of  Elizabeth.  f  Oldys,  p.  49. 

J  Anderson's  Hist  of  Commerce,  vol.  ii.  p.  165. 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  41 

count  it  received  its  generic  name,  Nicotiana,  the  specific 
appellation  being  derived  from  Tabac,  the  name  of  an  in- 
strument used  in  America  for  smoking  it.*  It  was  first 
grown  in  England  in  1570,  and  its  cultivation  was  con-" 
tinued  in  Yorkshire  until  prohibited  by  statutes:  it  was 
used  both  for  snuff  and  for  smoking.  Even  the  ladies,  who 
were  then  so  deficient  in  refinement,  that  they  cannot  at 
least  be  reproached  witli  the  practice  as  an  inconsistency, 
indulged  in  the  pleasures  of  tobacco,  being  a  very  proper 
accompaniment  to  the  general  coarseness  of  their  habits. 
In  France,  it  was  patronized  by  the  great  and  the  gay,  un- 
der the  name  of  the  "  Queen  s  Herb  ;"  and  in  England  it 
was  allowed  even  in  the  royal  presence.  Queen  Eliza- 
beth was  one  day  so  rash  as  to  enter  into  a  wager  with  the 
subtle  Ralegh,  against  the  possibility  of  his  ascertaining 
the  weight  of  the  smoke  exuding  from  any  given  quantity 
of  tobacco.  Her  Majesty  regarding  the  impracticability 
of  the  perfumed  vapor  being  confined  within  a  scale,  was 
confident  of  her  point ;  and  surmised  that  Ralegh  took  a 
traveller's  privilege  in  affirming  to  the  contrary.  Ralegh, 
however,  outwitted  her  by  weighing  the  ashes,  and  Eliza- 
beth was  obliged  to  confess  that  the  difference  between 
them  and  the  original  weight  of  tobacco  settled  the  dis- 
puted point :  upon  which  she  consoled  herself  with  a  witti- 
cism, telling  Sir  Walter  "  that  she  had  heard  of  those  who 
"  turned  their  gold  into  smoke,  but  had  never  before  seen 
"  the  man  who  could  turn  smoke  into  gold."f  In  process 
of  time,  the  use  of  tobacco  was  considered  likely  to  debase 
the  manners  of  the  people,  and  to  render  them  barbarous, 
as  "  those  barbarians  from  whom  its  uses  were  derived.''^ 
Elizabeth  discouraged  its  unlimited  excess ;  and  her  pom- 
pous successor  showed  his  usual  mixture  of  sense  and  folly 
by  his  determined  and  outrageous  enmity  to  it ;  and  al- 
though it  was  not  deemed  expedient,  from  political  mo- 
tives, to  abolish  so  great  a  source  of  revenue  to  the  crown, 
he  satisfied  his  prejudices  and  his  conceit,  by  his  famous 

*  In  Yucatan,  it  was  called  Petun  or  Petema.  Humboldt  found  two 
species  only  in  South  America,  the  N.  laxensis  and  N.  Jindicola,  which 
grow  on  the  Andes,  that  resemble  the  N.  tabacum.  Note  in  Dr.  A.  T. 
Thomson's  London  Dispensatory,  5th  edit.  p.  445. 

f  Oldys,  p.  32. 

t  Anglorum  corpora  in  barbarorum  naturam  degenerasse,  quum  iidem 
oc  barbari  delectentur.    Camden,  449. 


42  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

work,  entitled  the  "  Counterblast  to  Tobacco ,-"  but  suc- 
ceeded by  his  power,  rather  than  his  wit,  in  diminishing 
its  production,  notwithstanding  his  description  of  it,  aa 
"  loathesome  to  the  eye,  hatefull  to  the  sight,  harrnefull  to 
the  orgaine,  dangerous  to  the  lungs,  and  in  the  blacke 
stinking  fume  thereof)  nearest  resembling  the  horrible 
Stygian  smoake  of  the  pit  that  is  bottomless."*  Such, 
however,  is  the  attachment  of  all  classes  of  men  to  any  fa- 
vorite habit,  that,  notwithstanding  an  enactment  of  Jamea 
the  First,  that  no  Virginian  planter  should  cultivate  seve- 
rally more  than  a  hundred  pounds  of  it,  and  in  the  face 
even  of  papal  edicts,  tobacco,  prized  alike  by  the  noble  and 
the  peasant,  has  maintained  its  popularity,  although  with 
some  variations  of  fashion.f 

ir-qq  The  assiduous  attention  which  Ralegh,  during 
the  course  of  his  life,  at  intervals,  devoted  to  the 
colonies,  was  forcibly  arrested  at  home  by  the  pressing  oc- 
currences of  this  year.  Already  had  an  ostentatious  account 
of  the  Spanish  armada  been  published  at  Lisbon ;  and  every 
circumstance  attending  this  memorable  invasion  contributed 
to  excite  the  emulation  and  the  exertions  of  the  martial 
portion  of  the  English  community.  All  persons  of  reflec- 
tion extolled  the  fortitude  of  the  Queen  upon  the  approach 
of  dangers  so  unusual,  and  her  wisdom  in  preparing  for  the 
nation  its  surest  means  of  defence,  in  the  establishment  of 
the  .navy.  Elizabeth  had  selected  from  the  political  con- 
duct of  her  father  one  of  the  worthiest  points  of  imitation, 
when  she  declared  it  to  be  her  intention  to  preserve  the 
security  of  the  narrow  seas ;  inquired  into  the  causes  of 
the  decay  in  maritime  force ;  issued  orders  for  the  preserva- 
tion of  timber ;  enjoined  the  cisting  of  several  pieces  of 
ordnance ;  and  in  this  country  the  manufacturing  of  gun- 
powder ;  which  had  hitherto  been  supplied  from  the  Conti- 
nent. Resolved  to  afford  inducement  and  importance  to 
the  nautical  profession,  she  deviated  from  her  usual  parsi- 
mony, in  ordering  the  wages  of  seamen  and  officers  to  be 
raised ;  she  attracted,  by  rewards  and  pensions,  foreign  ar- 
tisans ;  and  acquired,  by  these  laudable  means,  the  praise  of 
effecting  the  restoration  of  naval  power,  and  of  rendering 

*  See  his  Counterblast  to  Tobacco;  and  also  a  Warrant  to  Lord  Trea 
surer  Dorset  for  laying  a  heavy  imposition  on  it.    Oldys. 
t  Ste  Appendix,  B. 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  43 

herstdf  sovereign  of  the  narrow  seas.  Yet  Elizabeth,  twenty 
years  before  the  Spanish  invasion,  had  but  fourteen  thousand 
seamen  in  her  service,  and  was  possessed  of  twenty-four 
ships  of  war  only ;  and  to  her  public-spirited  and  opulent 
subjects  was  she  indebted  for  many  of  the  vessels  with 
which  she  now  prepared  to  face  the  enemy*  Amongst 
others,  Ralegh  was  liberal  of  assistance :  whilst,  through  all 
parts  of  the  country,  such  preparations  were  made  to  mus- 
ter and  discipline  land  forcesf,  and  so  noble  a  spirit  was 
manifested,  that  some  persons  even  doubted  the  necessity 
of  a  fleet,  and  maintained  that  no  invaders  could  make 
successful  inroads  into  a  country  thus  protected.  But 
Ralegh  refutes  this  opinion,  in  his  History  of  the  World, 
and  proves  how  much  exposed  to  diversions  of  the  repell- 
ing forces  would  the  invaded  English  have  been,  unless 
girded  round  with  naval  defence.}:  Meanwhile,  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  council  of  war  instituted  for  the  occasion,  he 
drew  up  a  well-digested  scheme  for  the  security  of  the  na- 
tion ;  and,  in  his  office  of  lord-lieutenant  for  Cornwall,  he 
showed  his  zeal  in  assembling  a  militia.  § 

The  death  of  the  Marquis  Santa  Croce,  who  was  destined 
to  the  command  of  the  Armada,  and  the  subsequent  appoint- 
ment of  the  Duke  of  Medina  Sidonia,  revived  the  courage 
of  the  English,  who  justly  confided  in  the  abilities  and  valor 
of  their  own  High  Admiral,  Lord  Howard  of  Effingham. 
This  brave  and  successful  commander,  a  Roman  Catholic, 
fighting  against  those  of  his  own  persuasion  in  behalf  of  a 
Protestant  Queen,  was  the  son,  grandson,  and  nephew  of 
distinguished  naval  heroes  ;  his  father,  Lord  William  How- 
ard, having  held  the  same  post  with  himself,  and  his  uncles, 
Lord  Edmund  and  Lord  Edward  Howard,  having  signal- 
ized their  names  in  the  reign  of  Henry  the  Eighth.  Open, 
sincere,  and  liberal,  he  presented  a  noble  contrast  to  the 
Earl  of  Leicester,  to  oppose  whose  overweening  power  he 
had,  it  is  thought,  been  elevated ;  and  few  of  Elizabeth's 
appointments  had  been  more  acceptable  to  the  people  than 
that  of  Lord  Howard  to  the  eminent  and  perilous  station 
which  he  now  held.     This  general  good  opinion  he  fully 


*  Campbell's  Brit.  Adm.,  vol.  i.  p.  424. 

f  See  Queen  Elizabeth's  Letter  to  the  Marquess  of  Winchester  and  the 
Ea«J  of  Sussex,  in  Ellis',.  Letters,  2d  series,  iii.  137. 


|  Old/s,  p.  47. 


Ibid. 


44  LIKE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

justified.  When  apprized  that  the  Spanish  fleet  was  abou 
to  sail,  he  sailed  also,  and  continued  cruising  for  aome  time. 
The  English  government  were  meantime  informed  by  a 
spy,  whom  they  had  placed  at  Madrid,  that  in  May  the 
Spanish  fleet  was  ready,  and  only  waiting  for  a  fair  wind 
to  sail ;  such  being  the  order  and  secrecy  of  the  expedition, 
that  the  "  lyghtnynge  and  thunderclapp,  were  intended  to 
arrive  bothe  in  a  moment."*  An  incident  at  this  critical 
moment  shows>  how  fatally  Elizabeth's  measures  might 
have  operated,  had  it  not  been  for  the  disinterested  and  de- 
termined character  of  Howard.  The  ministry,  thinking 
that  there  was  no  chance  of  any  attack  from  the  Spaniards 
this  year,  wrote  by  Walsingham,  to  tell  him  that  the  ships 
might  return  into  harbor,  to  save  the  expense  of  retain- 
ing them  at  sea.  To  this  intimation  he  replied,  "  that  he 
thought  differently ;  and  that  if  his  reasons  were  deemed 
insufficient,  the  ships  might  continue  at  his  own  charge." 
Elizabeth  afterwards  paid  an  ample  tribute  to  his  merits, 
when  she  said  that  "  he  was  born  to  save  and  to  serve  his 
country." 

Lord  Howard  continued  at  his  arduous  station  until  he 
received  intelligence  that  the  Spanish  fleet  was  approach- 
ing, when,  in  order  to  get  out  of  Plymouth  with  such  ships 
as  he  could  muster,  he  not  only  gave  orders  in  person,  but 
worked  with  his  own  hands.  He  sailed  the  first  night  with 
six  ships  only ;  but  when,  at  length,  the  invincible  Armada 
advanced  slowly  up  the  channel,  the  noble  spirits  who  had 
remained  calmly,  yet  anxiously,  within  their  respective 
counties,  the  flower  of  all  the  young,  and  brave,  and  loyal 
gentlemen  of  England,  as  if  by  one  glorious  impulse,  joined 
as  volunteers  the  brave  Howard,  with  their  accumulated 
aid  of  men  and  vessels.  The  movements  of  the  Spanish 
fleet  were,  by  a  fortunate  accident,  descried  by  a  Scottish 
pirate,  by  whom  the  news  of  their  progress  was  brought  to 
Effingham.  The  dauntless  Admiral  Drake  was  playing  at 
bowls  upon  the  Hoe  at  Plymouth  when  he  heard  that  the 
Spanish  fleet  was  approaching,  but  he  coolly  declared  his 
resolution  to  see  the  game  out  before  he  prepared  for  com- 


*  See  Ellis's  Letters,  vol.  iii.  p.  134.  In  the  letter  from  which  this 
quotation  is  made,  a  curious  passage  occurs  relating  to  a  mysterious 
child,  supposed  to  be  the  son  of  the  Earl  of  Leicester  and  Queen  Eliza 
beth,  and  said  to  have  been  born  at  Hampton  Court 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  45 

bat.  Ralegh,  the  Cecils,  the  Earls  of  Oxford,  Northumher 
land,  and  Cumberland,  Sir  Charles  Blount,  and  others,  were 
eoon  in  the  Downs,  with  their  several  contributions  to  the 
British  fleet.  Ralegh,  with  some  noblemen  on  board  his 
vessel,  sailed  full  of  ardor  and  impatience  to  overtake  the 
squadron,  which  he  succeeded  in  reaching  near  Portland  , 
and  he  annoyed  the  enemy  with  ships  tacking  about  in  a 
manner  which  it  was  impracticable  for  the  heavy  Spanish 
vessels  to  imitate.  This  rencontre  was  said  by  Sir  Henry 
Wotton  to  have  resembled  a  "  morris-dance  upon  the  wa- 
ter." Thus,  whilst  the  Armada  advanced  slowly  up  the 
channel  towards  Calais,  the  English  fleet  followed  and  in- 
fested it  in  the  rear,  until  the  enemy  cast  anchor  near  Ca- 
lais, in  expectation  of  being  joined  and  assisted  by  the 
Duke  of  Parma.  This  opportunity  was,  immediately,  seized 
by  the  British  admiral  for  the  execution  of  a  stratagem 
suggested  by  the  queen.  He  caused  eight  of  his  weakest 
and  smallest  ships  to  be  filled  with  combustibles,  and  sent 
in  the  dead  of  the  night  among  the  Spaniards,  under  the 
guidance  of  two  seamen.  The  Spaniards,  mistaking  them 
for  the  same  species  of  fire-ship  that  had  lately  done  much 
damage  in  the  Schelde,  took  to  flight  with  great  confusion. 
Some  of  the  Spanish  vessels  were  dispersed  into  the  wide 
ocean ;  others  collected  near  Gravelines,  where  they  were 
played  upon  by  ordnance  from  Drake  and  Femreo,  who 
were  soon  joined  by  Lord  Howard,  and  other  of  the  princi- 
pal commanders.  The  Spanish  admiral  now  determined 
upon  returning  home  ;  but  to  avoid  contrary  winds,  and  the 
risk  of  again  facing  the  English,  he  took  his  course  round 
the  island,  chased  with  unabating  vigor  by  the  English.  It 
was  now  that  Lord  Howard  felt  the  insufficiency  of  the 
ammunition  with  which  the  vessels  had  been  supplied. 
From  this  circumstance,  the  opportunity  which  might 
otherwise  have  been  seized,  of  capturing  the  whole  Span- 
sh  fleet,  was  lost.  Yet  the  ill-fated  armada  escaped  not , 
Dut  driven  by  storms  to  the  western  coasts  of  Scotland  and 
to  Ireland,  half  of  its  boasted  squadron  was  wrecked,  and  the 
surviving  crews  returned  to  their  native  shores  only  to  add 
terror  of  the  English  name  to  the  disappointment  and  mor- 
tification already  experienced  in  Spain*  The  particular 
share  which  Ralegh  had  in  the  action  off  Gravelines  has 


♦Camden.  370.     Hume,  reign  Elizabeth. 


48  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

not  been  stated.  His  general  services  in  the  defeat  of  tj,j 
armada  are  collected  from  various  parts  of  his  own  works, 
and  from  the  observations  of  Von  Meteren,  in  his  work 
upon  the  Low  Countries.  From  a  passage  in  his  History  of 
the  World*,  it  is  evident  that  he  had  made  very  close  and 
able  observations  upon  the  measures  of  that  memorable 
day,  and  that  he  highly  approved,  from  excellent  reasons, 
the  plan  pursued  by  the  Lord  High  Admiral  in  the  choice 
end  management  of  his  vessels.f  That  he  participated  in 
the  perils  of  this  battle  is,  therefore,  evident  ;  it  would 
have  been  impossible  for  his  valiant  spirit  to  have  remained 
inactive  in  a  war  justified  on  the  part  of  England  by  the 
most  imperious  necessity.  By  the  happy  issue  of  this 
threatening  danger  to  his  country,  Ralegh  was  again  at  lib- 
erty to  engage  in  some  new  adventure  ;  and  few  of  his  un- 
dertakings were  commenced  without  some  wise  and  patri- 
otic end  in  view.'  His  sword  was  now  unsheathed  in  as- 
sisting Don  Antonio,  king  of  Portugal,  against  the  usurpa- 
tions of  the  king  of  Spain ;  and,  to  this  cause,  in  which  Sir 
Francis  Drake  and  Sir  John  Norris  were  joined,  Elizabeth 
lent  her  aid  both  in  ships  and  money.  Ralegh  probably  attend- 
ed at  his  own  expense,  and  he  reaped  the  fruit  of  his  exer- 
tions by  the  capture  of  some  Spanish  vessels  laden  with 
,  rnq  stores  and  ammunition,  intended  as  supplies  for  a 
fresh  invasion  of  England.  Historians  have,  how- 
ever, been  silent  on  the  subject  of  his  services  on  this  oc- 
casion ;  but  in  conformity  with  his  custom  of  referring  to 
most  of  his  military  expeditions  in  his  works,  he  has  treated 
of  this  affair,  minutely,  in  his  History  of  the  World.  { 

In  returning  from  Portugal,  Ralegh  visited  Ireland  ;  at- 
tracted thither  partly  by  a  desire  of  viewing  his  posses- 
sions in  Munster,  but  chiefly  for  the  purpose  of  seeing  Ed- 
mund Spenser,  the  celebrated  author  of  the  Faery  Queen. 
With  this  great  but  unfortunate  poet  Ralegh  had  become 
acquainted,  during  his  former  services  in  Ireland,  when 
Spenser  had  attended   Lord  Grey  of  Wilton,  then  Lord 

*  Hist,  of  the  World,  b.  5.  chap.  1.  sect.  6. 

f  And  in  a  work  which  he  afterwards  published  and  dedicated  to 
Prince  Henry,  entitled,  Observations  on  the  Sea  Service,  he  remarkt 
upcn  the  proportion  of  ordnance  allowed  in  the  sea-battle  in  1588. 
See  Kirch's  edition  of  Kalegh's  works. 

I  Fol.  b.  5.  c.  1.  sect.  9. 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  47 

Deputy,  as  his  secretary.  Descended,  like  Ralegh,  from 
an  ancient  and  honorable  family,  and  allied  to  many  of  the 
English  nobility  from  his  relationship  to  the  Spensers  of 
Northamptonshire,  but  born  of  indigent  parents,  Edmund 
Spenser  had  been  far  surpassed  by  Ralegh  in  the  progress 
to  worldly  attainments  and  honors.  Whilst  Ralegh  was 
cherished  and  nattered  at  court,  Spenser  was  deprived  of 
the  benefits  of  royal  favor  by  Lord  Burleigh,  who,  when 
Elizabeth  ordered  the  poet  to  receive  a  hundred  pounds, 
inquired  on  what  account,  and  being  informed  that  it  was 
as  an  encouragement  to  poetical  genius,  remonstrated  with 
his  sovereign  mistress  for  her  prodigality  in  thus  rewaidiny 
"  a  song."  "  Give  him,  then,  what  is  reason,"  said  Eliza- 
beth, and  the  poet  went  for  some  time  unrewarded.*  It 
was  not,  however,  long  before  Spenser  proved  the  sound- 
ness of  his  understanding  by  completing  his  View  of  the 
State  of  Ireland,  in  which,  under  the  name  of  Irenaeus,  he 
vindicates  his  patron,  Lord  Grey,  from  the  arguments  of 
Eudoxus.  This  production,  which  he  intended  to  have  been 
followed  by  a  work  on  the  antiquities  of  Ireland,  was  not 
published  until  1633,  when  the  writer  was  no  longer  alive 
to  enjoy  the  fame  which  it  deservedly  received.  He  was, 
however,  consoled  for  this  delay,  and  for  the  death  of  his 
first  patron,  Sir  Philip  Sidney,  by  the  gift  of  three  thousand 
acres  of  land  in  Cork,  once  belonging  to  the  Earl  of  Des- 
mond, and  forfeited  by  his  rebellion  to  the  crown.  Here 
he  lived  in  the  castle  of  Kilcolman,  formerly  the  abode  of 
the  Desmonds,  seated  upon  a  fine  lake,  and  commanding  a 
view  which  presented  the  varied  beauties  of  mountain  and 
forest  scenery,  through  which  the  river  Mulla  wandered,  f 
In  this  romantic  residence  Spenser  composed  that  great 
poem,  which,  if  it  delights  and  fills  the  imagination,  com- 
mands also  from  the  judgment  the  tribute  of  dispassionate 
approbation.  Restrained  by  the  necessity  of  offering  in- 
cense to  the  power  and  vanity  of  Elizabeth,  the  unfortu- 
nate Spenser  has  shown  that  even  in  the  most  sequestered 

*  Until  he  addressed  this  well-known  remonstrance  to  the  queen  : — 
"  I  was  promised  on  a  time 
To  have  reason  for  my  rhime  ; 
From  that  time  until  this  season 
I  received  nor  rhime  nor  reason." 
Upon  receiving  these  lines,  the  queen,  it  is  said,  ordered  the  payment  oC 
'be  hundred  pounds  first  promised. 
f  See  Smith's  Hist,  of  Cork,  vol.  i.  p.  55—333.    Also  vol.  ii.  p.  260—264 


48  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

retreats  worldly  desires  intrude.  But  the  queen,  although 
constituting  the  heroine  of  the  piece,  and  represented,  ac- 
cording to  a  modern  writer,  as  "  sending  forth  the  moral 
virtues  illustrated  under  the  character  of  different  knights,"* 
proved,  that  she  merited  not  the  praise,  by  her  neglect  of 
the  author.  Ralegh,  on  arriving  at  the  retired  dwelling 
of  Spenser,  found  him  poor,  and  almost  in  obscurity.  Al- 
ready had  he  tasted  of  the  poet's  true  portion  in  the  mise- 
ries of  rejected  love ;  but  Rosalinde,  or  Rosa  Lynde,  the 
supposed  idol  of  the  bard,  had,  it  may  be  presumed,  been 
forgotten  in  the  happiness  of  a  subsequent  marriage.  Ra- 
legh, although  more  fortunate  than  his  friend,  had  also  ex- 
perienced vicissitude;  for  the  source  of  that  displeasure 
which  Elizabeth  shortly  afterwards  evinced  towards  him, 
had  probably  already  become  obvious  to  his  own  mind.  The 
mood  in  which  he  visited  Spenser  was  evidently  of  a 
melancholy  character.  Spenser,  in  his  pastoral  entitled 
"  Colin  Clout 's  come  home  again,"  describes  in  Ralegh 
the  shepherd  of  the  ocean,  a  hopeless  mourner  for  the  losi 
favor  of  "  Cynthia,  the  lady  of  the  sea,"  otherwise  the 
queen. 

"  His  song  was  all  of  lamentable  lay, 

"  Of  great  unkindness,  and  of  usage  hard." 

The  imagination  would  fain  linger  upon  the  probable 
conversation  of  these  two  f^reat  men,  so  congenial  in  feel- 
ings, so  devoted  to  the  same  mistress,  Fame ;  alike  so  fa- 
vored, yet  so  unfortunate  in  pursuing  her  tracks.  Poetry, 
the  luxury  of  minds  undtoased  by  worldly  ambition,  occu- 
pied a  great  portion  of  the  meditations  in  which  these  gift- 
ed friends  indulged  ;  Spenser  was  persuaded  by  Ralegh  to 
repair  to  the  English  court,  in  order  to  present  to  the  queen 
three  books  of  his  poem ;  and  Ralegh  was  probably  at  this 
time  preparing  the  verses,  which  he  afterwards  wrote  on 
the  "  Faery  Qaeen."\  They  travelled  together  to  Eng- 
land, and  passing  the  Isle  of  Lundy,  landed  in  Cornwall,  at 
Saint  Michael's  Mount,  and  proceeded  to  London.  Here 
Ralegh,  in  vain,  endeavored  to  procure  for  his  friend  those 
substantial  advantages,  which  might  enable  him  to  pursue 
his  literary  career  unshackled  by  the  anxieties  of  penury. 
Spenser,  although  possessed  of  eminent  talents  as  a  politi- 
cian, and  of  extensive  information  in  Irish  affairs,  failed  in 


*  Lord  Lyttleton.  t  Biog.  Britannica,  art.  Spenser- 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  49 

tiis  efforts  to  perform  the  task  imposed  on  hirn,  of  laying1 
down  a  plan  for  subduing  and  reforming  that  country  in 
two  years.  In  dejection  and  neglect  he  returned  to  Ire- 
land, which  he  left  some  years  afterwards,  in  order  to  pub- 
lish his  poem.  During  his  absence  from  Kilcolman,  his 
property  was  plundered  by  the  rebels  under  Lord  Tyrone, 
and  his  house,  containing  one  of  his  children,  was  burned 
to  the  ground.  This  calamity  broke  his  heart.  Reduced 
to  a  state  of  extreme  misery  and  dependence,  lie  y  et  re- 
tained somewhat  of  that  delicacy  of  feeling,  which  is,  or 
ought  to  be,  inherent  in  poets;  and  when,  in  declining 
health,  he  received  twenty  pieces  of  gold  from  the  Earl  of 
Essex,  he  returned  them,  saying . "  he  had  no  time  to 
spend." 

Upon  his  remains,  as  so  often  happens  to  men  of  genius, 
were  lavished  the  honors  which  had  been  withheld  from 
himself.  He  was  buried  in  Westminster  Abbey,  according 
to  his  own  wish,  near  Chaucer  ;  and  his  obsequies  were  at- 
tended by  poets  and  other  distinguished  men  of  his  time, 
whilst  complimentary  verses  were  thrown  into  his  grave. 
That  Ralegh  cheered  the  last  sorrowful  days  of  his  friend 
by  his  bounty  is  not  specified,  nor  is  he  known  to  have 
shared  in  the  fruitless  homage  offered  to  his  memory.  His 
envied  rival,  Essex,  provided  the  funeral  of  the  poet ;  and 
the  accomplished  Countess  of  Dorset  erected  his  monu- 
ment. 

During  some  time  after  Ralegh's  return  to  England,  he 
appears  to  have  enjoyed  the  peculiar  favor  of  the  queen. 
For  his  services  against  the  Armada,  she  rewarded  him 
with  an  augmentation  of  his  office  of  licenses  ;  and,  for  the 
assistance  which  he  had  afforded  to  Don  Antonio,  he  was 
repaid  by  the  gift  of  a  gold  chain  from  Elizabeth. 

In  the  exercise  of  his  license  for  vending  wines,  he  was 
not  restricted  in  increasing  the  number  of  vintners  in  any 
part  of  the  kingdom.  Hence  a  dispute  arose  between  him 
and  the  university  of  Cambridge  ;  the  heads  of  which  es- 
poused the  cause  of  a  vintner  whom  they  had  formerly  ap- 
pointed, not  only  in  opposition  to  a  man  named  Keymere, 
licensed  by  Ralegh,  but  to  his  personal  hindrance  and  dan- 
ger in  the  occupations  of  his  business.  Such,  indeed,  were 
the  oppressions  in  which  that  learned  body  occasionally  in- 
dulged, that  notwithstanding  repeated  and  temperate  re- 
monstrances, they  finally  imprisoned  the  man  for  following 
E 


50  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

a  calling  which  had  been  lawfully  permitted  to  him.  The 
intelligence  of  this  proceeding  having  reached  Ralegh,  he 
was  resolved  to  use  more  determined  measures  *han  those 
which  he  had  hitherto  adopted  ;  and,  addressing  the  Vice- 
Chancellor  and  Masters  of  Colleges,  he  wrote  to  them  in 
these  words  : — "  As  I  reverence  the  place  of  which  you  are 
the  governors,  so  will  I  not  willingly  take  any  disgrace  or 
wrong  from  you ;"  subscribing  himself  "  their  friend,  as 
they  sl.all  give  cause."  This  epistle  produced  an  humble 
and  explanatory  reply  from  the  Vice-Chancellor,  represent- 
ing that  they  had  enjoyed  the  disputed  privilege  for  more 
than  two  hundred  years ;  that  they  had  not  neglected  any 
quiet  means  to  procure  his  permission  for  their  continuance 
of  the  office  :  but  that  he  had  used  such  severe  language, 
that  they  had  entertained  but  little  hopes  of  conciliating 
one  who  must  have  understood  how  to  receive  and  to  re- 
turn the  language  of  courtesy  :  "  being  by  birth  a  gentle- 
man, by  education  trained  up  to  the  knowledge  of  good  let- 
ters ;  instructed  with  the  liberal  disposition  of  an  univer- 
sity, the  fountain  and  nursery  of  all  humanity ;  and  further, 
by  God's  good  blessing,  advanced  in  court,  from  which  the 
very  name  of  courtesy  is  drawn."  To  this  flattering  lan- 
guage Ralegh  was,  probably,  not  insensible ;  for,  in  the 
course  of  a  few  months,  the  altercation  was  terminated 
through  the  mediation  of  the  Lord  Treasurer  Burleigh,  who 
was  at  that  time  Chancellor  of  Cambridge.* 

Encouraged  by  the  testimonies  of  approbation  which  he 
iiad  received  from  the  Queen,  and  availing  himself  of  a 
temporary  cessation  of  hostilities  with  Spain,  Ralegh  now 
prepared  to  execute  a  design,  which  he  had  formed  for 
abolishing  the  power  of  that  nation  in  the  West  Indies. 
With  this  intention,  he  collected,  chiefly  at  his  own  ex- 
1  ,-qq  pense,  thirteen  vessels,  with  which  he  determined 
to  raise  a  certain  ar  d  permanent  renown.  Aided 
by  two  of  the  Queen's  men-of-war,  and  authorized  to  as- 
sume the  title  of  General  of  the  Fleet,  he  set  sail  from  the 
west  of  England.  Scarcely  had  lie  commenced  his  voyage, 
before  he  was  overtaken  by  Sir  Martin  Frobisher,  with 
orders  from  the  Queen,  who  wisely  dreaded  the  absence 
of  one  of  her  bravest  defenders,  whilst  danger  still  threat- 
ened the  country.     But  Ralegh,  conceiving  that  his  honor 

*  Oldys,  27 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  51 

was  pledged  to  proceed,  pursued  his  course,  although  al- 
most hopeless  of  engaging  with  the  Spanish  fleet,  having 
received  intimation  that  it  would  not  sail  that  year.  Dis- 
couraged still  further  by  a  storm  off  Cape  Finisterre,  and 
finding  his  provisions  run  short,  he  divided  his  fleet  be- 
tween Frobisher  and  Sir  John  Burgh,  with  orders,  which 
were  diligently  obeyed,  that  one  party  should  terrify  the 
Spaniards  on  their  own  coast,  whilst  the  other  should  re- 
main at  the  Azores,  to  intercept  the  Caracques  on  their 
voyage  from  the  West  Indies.  This  arrangement  pro- 
duced the  capture  of  the  Madre  de  Dios,  the  largest  prize 
that  had  ever  been  brought  to  the  English  shores.  The 
Queen,  who  had  contributed  so  scantily  to  the  expenses 
of  this  adventure,  engrossed,  nevertheless,  a  considerable 
share  of  its  profits,  which  were  estimated  at  five  hundred 
thousand  pounds.  The  jewels  and  the  valuables  fell  chiefly 
to  the  lot  of  the  sailors,  so  that  Hawkins,  who  had  joined 
Ralegh  in  the  speculation,  gained,  as  well  as  his  associate, 
a  diminished  portion  of  the  prize.* 

This  was  the  only  occasion,  if  we  except  the  services 
against  the  Spanish  Armada,  in  which  Ralegh  co-operated 
with  Sir  Martin  Frobisher.  That  brave  and  indefatigable 
man,  the  associate  of  Drake,  in  the  successful  expedition 
to  the  West  Indies,  died  four  years  after  his  joint  service 
with  Ralegh,  in  consequence  of  a  wound  received  at  the 
siege  of  Brest ;  the  injury  was  not  of  a  dangerous  charac- 
ter, but  an  ignorant  or  careless  surgeon,  after  extracting  a 
ball  which  had  entered,  omitted  to  clear  out  the  wadding. 
Thus  perished  one  of  the  most  meritorious,  although  not 
one  of  the  most  amiable,  of  our  naval  heroes.  During  a 
period  of  fifteen  years,  Frobisher  had,  in  the  early  part  of 
his  career,  cherished  the  project,  which  he  afterwards  at- 
tempted, of  finding  a  north-west  passage  to  China.  For 
the  supplies  of  ships  and  money,  he  vainly  solicited  several 
English  merchants,  a  class  of  men,  who  are  unjustly  de- 
scribed by  the  indignant  Hakluyt,  as  never  regarding  vir- 
tue "  without  sure,  certain,  and  present  gains."f  Happily  for 
Frobisher,  Elizabeth  listened  to  his  schemes,  thus  securing 
to  herself  the  fame  of  being  the  first  sovereign  by  whom 
the  project  of  a  north-west  passage  to  China  was  publicly 
and  perseveringly  encouraged. 

*  Birch,  34.  t  Hakluyt,  vol.  3.  p.  28. 


52  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

It  is  a  relief  to  find  Ralegh  for  several  years  after  thia 
enterprise  devoting  himself  to  the  civil  interests  of  his 
country ;  and  shining  in  the  council  and  the  senate,  with 
a  calmer  and  more  benignant  lustre  than  that  which  at- 
tended his  warlike  exploits.  As  a  politician,  his  leading 
principles  of  action  seem  to  have  been,  religious  toleration, 
determined  opposition  to  amity  with  Spain,  and  hatred  of 
her  encroachments.  For  the  display  of  these  opinions,  he 
incurred  odium,  persecution,  and  death.  It  is  probable 
that  in  the  turmoil  of  worldly  business,  and  in  a  court, 
where  it  is  difficult  to  "  hold  fast  one's  integrity,"  he  may, 
in  some  instances,  have  forgotten  the  great  ends  which  he 
appeared  especially  qualified  to  pursue ;  and  mingled  with 
elevated  designs,  motives  of  envy  and  ambition.  But  on  a 
general  retrospect  of  his  character,  he  appears  to  have 
been  a  public-spirited  and  loyal  subject  to  Queen  Elizabeth ; 
and  yet  an  enlightened  and  liberal  defender  of  the  rights 
and  interests  of  his  country.  To  the  established  church, 
Ralegh  was  frequently  adverse  ;  and  from  his  conduct  in 
various  instances,  obnoxious.  His  first  offence  was  an  en- 
croachment upon  their  temporalities.  In  his  anxiety  to 
obtain  a  certain  manor,  he  is  asserted  to  have  traduced  to 
the  Queen,  Godwin,  Bishop  of  Bath  and  Wells,  an  aged 
prelate,  the  father  of  Dr.  Francis  Godwin,  who  wrote  the 
"  Catalogue  of  English  Bishops."  But  although  not  en- 
tirely free  from  blame  in  this  affair,  Ralegh  escaped  the 
censures  of  Dr.  Francis  Godwin,  who,  in  revising  his  work 
in  the  succeeding  reign,  makes  no  comments  upon  the 
conduct  of  Sir  Walter,  but  rather  regrets  that  his  father 
should  have  sought  to  monopolize  livings,  to  the  duties  of 
which  his  infirmities  precluded  him  from  attending.* 

The  accusation  against  Ralegh,  which  was  thus,  in 
some  degree,  nullified,  was  adduced  by  Sir  John  Harring- 
ton, in  his  work  entitled  a  Brief  View  of  the  Church  of 
England,  which  was  intended  to  serve  as  a  continuation  of 
Godwin's  Catalogue  of  Bishops.  It  was  written  during 
the  reign  of  James  the  First,  in  the  time  of  Ralegh's  sub- 
sequent confinement ;  and  was  addressed  to  Henry,  Prince 
of  Wales,  rather  as  a  story  told  in  his  Highness's  presence 
and  hearing,  than  as  a  grave  narration  of  established  facta 

*  Oldys,  p.  59 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  53 

Yet  Harrington  relates  the  circumstance  as  an  anecdote 
generally  known;  and  annexes  to  it  several  particulars 
which  are  extremely  discreditable  to  Ralegh.  It  is  ob- 
servable, however,  that  he  alludes  to  him  not  by  name,  but 
only  as  a  chief  favorite  of  that  time,  who,  being  unable  to 
get  the  manor  of  Ban  well  from  the  bishop,  took  advantage 
of  an  unsuitable  and  unseasonable  marriage  made  by  the 
aged  prelate,  to  incense  the  Queen's  mind  against  him. 
Persecuted  and  alarmed,  Dr.  Godwin  was,  eventually,  con- 
strained to  surrender,  for  the  term  of  a  hundred  years,  an- 
other manor  belonging  to  him,  in  order  to  save  that  which 
Ralegh  coveted.  The  relater  of  this  tale  affirms,  that  he  had 
Himself  carried  many  angry  messages  on  the  subject  from 
the  Queen  to  the  bishop,  which  were,  in  one  instance,  de- 
livered to  him  through  the  Earl  of  Leicester ;  that  favorite 
at  first  espousing  the  cause  of  the  old  man,  but  eventually 
concurring  with  Ralegh,  "  like  Pilate  and  Herod  to  condemn 
Christ."*  Such  is  the  story,  and  such  are  the  irregular, 
yet  not  contemptible,  grounds  upon  which  it  rests.  _  This 
charge  was  not  the  only  one  which  the  able  and  discern- 
ing but  time-serving  Harrington  has  brought  against  Ralegh 
in  bis  works,  although  rendering  him  justice  in  his  familiar 
letters. 

The  protection  which  Ralegh  afforded  to  Udall  was  an- 
other cause  of  offence  to  the  clergy.  Udall,  although 
regularly  educated  as  a  minister  of  the  established  church, 
had  yet  joined  the  Non-conformists ;  and  had  distinguished 
himself  both  for  his  zeal  and  eloquence,  but  still  more  for 
his  "  Demonstration  of  Discipline  ;"  a  work  reflecting 
upon  the  church,  but  construed  by  the  harsh  yet  fawning 
spirit  of  the  age,  into  a  libel  on  the  Queen's  majesty. 
Upon  this  ground  he  was  indicted,  was  brought  to  the  bar  in 
fetters,  and  there  tried  upon  the  depositions  of  witnesses,  no 
viva  voce  testimony  being  allowed:  neither  was  he  permitted 
to  reply,  the  defence  which  he  might  have  prepared,  being 
rejected  unheard,  as  libellous.  The  unhappy  man  was 
found  guilty  of  publishing  the  book,  but  remained  half  a 
year  in  prison,  without  receiving  his  sentence:  when, 
continuing  firm  in  his  tenets,  he  was  brought  before  the 
Lord  Keeper  Puckering,  to  receive  judgment  of  death. 

*  Harrington's  Brief  View,  110,  111. 
E2 


54  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

Immediately  after  the  sentence,  a  reprieve  was  sent  him 
from  the  Queen,  at  the  instance  of  Ralegh,  who  advised 
him  to  improve  this  interval  of  mercy  by  addressing  a  let- 
ter to  Elizabeth,  explaining  the  true  purport  of  his  writings. 
Some  hopes  of  liberty  were  thus  afforded  to  Udall,  but  his 
release  was  deferred  from  time  to  time,  until  he  died  in 
prison,  having  rejected  the  humane  offer  of  a  free  passage  to 
Guinea,  upon  condition  that  he  should  revisit  England  no 
more.  It  was  in  reference  to  the  mediation  of  Ralegh 
on  this  and  other  occasions,  that  Elizabeth  said  to  him, 
"  When,  Sir  Walter,  will  you  cease  to  be  a  beggar  V 
"  When  your  gracious  Majesty  ceases  to  be  a  benefactor," 
was  the  adroit  and  courteous  reply. 

1  ^02  Consistent  with  his  horror  of  persecution  were 
the  efforts  which  Ralegh  made  in  parliament,  to 
prevent  the  expulsion  of  the  Brownists,  and  other  sectari- 
ans, from  this  country,  upon  the  score  of  religious  opinions. 
The  Brownists  owed  their  origin  and  name  to  one  Robert 
Brown,  who  afterwards  carried  his  heretical  tenets  to  Zea- 
land, the  hot-bed  of  extravagant  and  speculative  modes  of 
faith.  Although  in  orders,  and  afterwards  preferred  to  the 
rectory  of  Northampton,  yet  Brown  held  that  the  "  church- 
government  was  anti-christian ;  her  sacraments  clogged 
with  superstition ;  that  the  Liturgy  had  a  mixture  of  po- 
pery and  paganism  in  it,  and  that  the  mission  of  the  clergy 
was  no  better  than  that  of  Baal's  priests  in  the  Old  Testa- 
ment."* For  the  unhesitating  display  of  these  opinions, 
which,  unwarranted  as  they  were,  had  been  best  answered  by 
that  spirit  of  forbearance  which  "suffers  long,"  Brown  incur- 
red unwonted  persecution,  which  placed  a  violent  and  mis- 
chievous sectarian  almost  on  the  footing  of  a  martyr ;  he 
could  boast  that  he  had  been  confined  in  thirty-two  prisons, 
in  many  of  which  he  could  not  see  his  hand  at  noon-day ; 
and,  although  upon  his  promise  of  conforming  to  the  estab- 
lished church,  he  was  permitted  to  enjoy  one  of  its  bene- 
fices, yet  he  died  in  Northampton  jail,  whither  he  was  sent 
for  striking  a  constable.  His  opinions,  which  were  derived 
from  those  of  the  Donatists,  occasioned,  for  a  time,  violent 
controversies,  and  his  followers  gave  considerable  annoy- 
ance to  the  church,  so  late  as  the  reign  of  Charles  the  First. 
At  length,  after  being  associated  in  public  proclamations 

*  Biographia. 


LIFE  OF  S.'R  WALTER  RALEGH.  55 

with  Anabaptists  and  Atheists,  the  Brownists,  furious  and 
obnoxious  as  they  were,  were  softened  into  Congregational- 
ists,  or  Independents,  holding  a  middle  course  between^ 
Presbyterianism  and  Brownism.* 

It  was  in  reference  partly  to  these  schismatics  that  an  act 
was  passed  for  the  purpose  of  "  retaining  her  Majesty's  ser- 
vants in  due  obedience,  specifying  further,  that  any  person 
above  sixteen  years  of  age  who  refused,  during  the  space  of 
a  month,  to  attend  public  worship,  should  be  committed  to 
prison ;  and,  if  persisting  for  three  months  in  such  deter- 
mination, be  banished  the  realm  under  pain  of  death,  if  de- 
tected in  returning.!  To  the  enactment  of  this  law,  very 
little  opposition  was  made  by  the  compliant  commons  then 
met ;  but  Ralegh  opposed  it  upon  reasons,  which  have  ever 
been  deemed  the  most  conclusive  in  favor  of  religious  tole- 
ration :  these,  he  grounded  upon  the  injustice  of  punish- 
ment, when  the  offence  consists  in  those  thoughts  and 
cherished  notions,  which  are  hidden  within  the  inmost  re- 
cesses of  the  heart,  and  of  which  our  fellow-men  cannot, 
on  that  account,  be  competent  judges.  Such  were  the  sen- 
timents which  he  expressed  upon  this  occasion : — "  In  my 
conceit,  the  Brownists  are  worthy  to  be  rooted  out  of  a 
commonwealth ;  but  what  danger  may  grow  to  ourselves 
if  this  law  pass,  were  fit  to  be  considered.  For  it  is  to  be 
feared  that  men  not  guilty  will  be  included  in  it ;  and  that 
law  is  hard,  that  taketh  life,  and  sendeth  into  banishment ; 
where  men's  intentions  shall  be  judged  by  a  jury,}  and  they 
shall  be  judges  what  another  means.  But  the  law,  which  is 
against  a  fact,  is  but  just ;  and  punish  the  fact  as  severely 
as  you  will.  If  two  or  three  thousand  Brownists  meet  at 
the  sea,  at  whose  charge  shall  they  be  transported,  and 
where  shall  they  be  sent !  I  am  sorry  for  it,  but  I  am  afraid 
there  are  near  twenty  thousand  of  them  in  England,  and 
when  they  are  gone,  who  shall  maintain  their  wives  and 
children  ]"§  Such  humane  and  judicious  suggestions  as 
these  appear  to  have  had  their  due  weight  with  the  House. 

*  See  note  in  explanation  of  their  tenets.    Biog.  art.  Brown. 

t  Hume,  reign  Elizabeth,  year  J591. 

X  Recusants  were  to  be  tried  by  civil  judges  at  assizes,  in  preference 
to  ecclesiastical  courts.  (Strype's  Annals,  vol.  iv.  p.  264.)  An  enact- 
ment which  Hume  attributes  to  the  desire  of  the  clergy  to  remove  the 
jdium  from  themselves.    See  note,  reign  Eliz. 

S  Oldys,  69.  from  Townshend's  Hist.  Collections. 


56  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

A  committee  was  appointed  to  revise  the  bill,  and  among 
the  list  Ralegh's  name  appears :  many  amendments  and 
additions  were  consequently  adopted.* 

Although  in  withstanding  so  arbitrary  and  rigid  a  law  as 
this,  Ralegh  espoused  the  cause  of  the  Catholics,  as  well 
as  that  of  the  Dissenters,  his  display  of  liberality,  added  to 
his  avowed  enmity  to  the  Spanish  court,  drew  upon  him  the 
satire  of  Father  Parsons,  who,  under  the  title  of  a  "  Lover 
of  his  Country"  inveighed  bitterly  in  a  libellous  publica- 
tion against  some  of  the  most  eminent  public  characters 
of  the  time.  Ralegh  became  an  object  of  his  invectives, 
and  the  cry  of  Atheist,  that  established  watch-word  of  cal- 
umny, was  raised  against  him.  He  was  even  stated  to  have 
formed  a  school  of  Atheism,  in  which  the  Old  and  New 
Testament  were  derided,  and  a  spirit  of  blasphemy  infused 
into  the  minds  of  the  scholars.  But  the  enemies  of  Ralegh 
had,  in  this  instance,  a  deeper  source  of  hatred  towards  him 
than  mere  party  rancor.  He  had  been  the  avowed  patron 
of  every  measure  which  conduced  to  diffuse  information, 
and  to  promote  tolerance  and  free  inquiry.  By  no  class  of 
persons  were  proceedings  such  as  these  so  much  dreaded 
and  discountenanced,  as  by  the  Jesuits,  a  learned  but  de- 
signing sect,  who,  by  the  weakness  and  ignorance  of  others, 
found  their  own  power  strengthened,  and  the  influence  of 
their  superstitions  extended.  Among  these,  the  first  that 
established  himself  in  England  was  Parsons,  the  son  of  a 
blacksmith  of  Somersetshire ;  once  a  zealous  Protestant, 
and  an  eminent  tutor  of  Oxford,  where  he  was  the  first  to 
introduce  Protestant  authors  into  the  library  of  Baliol  Col- 
lege. But,  becoming  bursar  of  his  college,  he  exercised 
such  a  notorious  system  of  peculation,  that,  upon  an  in- 
quiry being  made  into  his  conduct,  he  found  it  convenient 
to  resign  his  fellowship.  He  afterwards  travelled  on 
the  Continent,  and  becoming  acquainted  with  the  order 
of  the  Jesuits,  his  restless  and  intriguing  temper  of  mind 
inclined  him  to  enter  eagerly  into  the  spirit  of  that  sect. 
In  process  of  time,  he  rose  to  the  dignity  of  Chief  Peni- 
tentiary;  and  was  appointed  to  superintend  the  English 
seminary  at  Rome,  whence  he  was  sent  into  England  by 
the  Pope,  with  instructions  to  establish  his  order,  to  expel 
Queen  Elizabeth,   and  subvert  the   Protestant  religion. 

*  Oldys,  69. 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  57 

For  such  a  design,  Parsons  was  admirably  qualified,  hid 
character  being  a  compound  of  duplicity  and  boldness, 
of  enterprise  and  of  caution.  In  conjunction  with  one  Fa- 
ther Campion,  he  divided  England  into  three  parts,  each 
of  which  was  vigilantly,  but  with  the  utmost  secrecy, 
watched  by  one  or  other  of  the  associated  emissaries. 
Campion  remained  in  the  north,  while  Parsons,  who  usu- 
ally continued  near  London,  introduced  into  Cambridge  a 
young  priest  as  a  nobleman.  By  these  agents  the  minds 
of  the  people  were  allured,  inflamed,  or  intimidated,  as  op- 
portunity offered,  until  the  apprehension  of  Campion  dis- 
concerted all  their  measures,  and  drove  Parsons  into  Nor- 
mandy. There  he  remained  ;  and  having,  before  his  depar- 
ture from  England,  given  birth  to  the  noted  libel  before 
referred  to,  containing  chiefly  appalling,  and  in  some  in- 
stances, incredible  relations  of  the  Earl  of  Leicester's  atroci- 
ties ;  he  published,  under  the  name  of  Doleman,  a  "  Con- 
ference between  a  Gentleman,  a  Lawyer,  and  a  Scholar," 
concerning  the  Succession  to  the  Crown  of  England,  dedi- 
cating it  to  the  Earl  of  Essexv  then  the  rising  favorite.* 
This  production  was  designed  to  reflect  upon  the  govern- 
ment, and  to  subvert  the  authority  of  Queen  Elizabeth. 
At  her  death,  the  exertions  of  this  reverend  father  were 
directed  to  a  fruitless  endeavor  to  prevent  the  succession 
of  James  the  First  to  the  throne. f 

It  was  in  the  preceding  year,  that  Ralegh,  in  -icgo 
conjunction  with  many  other  eminent  persons,  had 
aided  in  inflicting  a  deep  wound  upon  the  power  of  the 
Jesuits,  by  advising  the  Queen  to  issue  a  proclamation  for 
the  suppression  of  the  Jesuitical  seminaries,  of  which  va- 
rious branches,  from  the  original  institution  by  Philip  the 
Second  at  Valladolid,  had  been  established  in  England  .J 
The  share  which  Ralegh  had  in  this  proceeding  was  never 
forgiven  by  the  advocates  of  Spain,  nor  by  those  who,  upon 
the  plea  of  religion,  as  they  called  it,  wished  to  see  this 

*  See  this  curious,  and  certainly  ingenious  and  pointed  work,  written, 
like  the  preceding  one,  by  the  same  author,  with  the  spirit  of  a  demon. 
Ed   1641.    Printed  first  without  a  name. 

f  Biog.  Britan.  art.  Parsons. 

X  The  establishment  of  Jesuitical  seminaries  in  this  country  was 
found  impracticable  until  after  the  year  1562;  although  Loyola,  who 
founded  the  order  in  1534,  had  signified  to  Cardinal  Pole  his  desire  of 
seeing  it  introduced  into  England.  Note  in  Biog.  from  Carte's  Higtcy 
of  England. 


58  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

country  in  some  respects  constituted  like  that  nation. 
Happily  for  England,  the  power  of  the  Jesuits,  an  engine 
of  frightful  ascendency  in  all  countries  where  it  has  been 
permitted,  was  thus,  from  the  decision  and  wisdom  of 
Elizabeth's  councils,  precluded  from  the  exercise  of  its  in- 
sinuating, but  oppressive  operations ;  but,  unfortunately  for 
Ralegh,  the  various  insinuations  thrown  out  against  him 
were  aided  in  their  effect  by  an  event  which  happened 
about  this  time,  and  which  for  a  season  affected  his  fortunes 
and  his  tranquillity. 

Promoted  by  Elizabeth  to  be  one  of  the  Gentlemen  of 
the  Privy  Chamber,  Ralegh,  who  had  neither  the  habits 
nor  the  soul  of  an  idler,  was  constrained  to  come  into  very 
frequent  communication  with  the  ladies  of  the  bed-cham- 
ber, but,  in  general,  without  producing  many  proofs  of 
amity  on  either  side :  indeed  he  was  often  heard  to  say, 
that  his  fair  associates  "  were  like  witches,  who  could  do 
no  good,  but  might  do  harm."*  This  remark  was  remem- 
bered with  bitter  exaltation,  when  it  was  discovered  that 
there  existed  between  Ralegh  and  the  beautiful  daughter 
of  Sir  Nicholas  Throgmorton,  an  intimacy  which  would, 
had  it  happened  in  these  days,  have  blasted  for  ever  the 
reputation  of  the  lady,  who  was  also  one  of  Elizabeth's  per- 
sonal attendants.  This  conduct  was  the  more  inexcusable 
in  Ralegh,  because  the  object  of  his  addresses  was  unpro- 
tected by  a  father's  care,  Sir  Nicholas  Throgmorton  having 
died  in  1570,f  suddenly,  and  not  without  some  suspicions 
of  his  having  been  poisoned  by  the  Earl  of  Leicester,  in 
whose  house  he  was  at  supper  when  he  was  attacked  by  a 
complaint  which  proved  fatal.  Sir  Nicholas  had  ever  been 
an  object  of  dislike  to  that  unprincipled  nobleman,  partly 
from  his  early  adherence  to  the  Somerset  faction,  and  more 
immediately  from  a  close  alliance  with  the  elder  Cecil. 
The  Earl  pretended,  however,  great  friendship  towards 
him,  and  affecting  to  be  summoned  to  the  royal  presence 
on  the  sudden  return  of  the  Queen  to  London,  bade  Sir 
£  Nicholas  take  his  seat,  and  be  served  as  he  had  been.  The 
guest,  it  is  said,  obeyed  the  flattering  command,  and  par- 
took of  a  salad,  to  which  he  afterwards,  on  his  death-bed, 
imputed  the  disease  which  killed  him,  but  respecting  the 

*  Bacon's  Apophthegms,  New  and  Old,  295. 
t  Camden's  Annals,  p.  130,  year  1570. 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  59 

nature  of  which  accounts  vary.*  By  some  it  was  observed 
that  he  died  of  "  Leicester's  rheum,"  that  nobleman  being 
no  mean  artist  in  the  faculty  of  poisoning  :f  by  others,  it 
was  asserted  to  be  an  imposthume  of  the  lungs,  which 
caused  his  death.  The  circumstances  of  the  Throgmorton 
family  were  not  prosperous,  Sir  Nicholas,  although  de- 
scended from  an  ancient  family,  and  allied  by  his  mother 
to  tne  house  of  Vaulx,  and  performing  the  arduous  parts 
of  a  statesman  and  ambassador,  having  never  risen  higher 
than  to  the  offices  of  Chamberlain  of  England,  and  Chief 
Butler;  employments  which  have  been  compared  to  an 
"  empty  covered  cup,  pretending  to  some  state,  but  afford- 
ing no  considerable  profit."!  Sir  Nicholas,  to  use  the 
words  of  Camden,  "  was  a  man  of  great  experience,  pass- 
ing sharp  wit,  and  singular  diligence ;  who  busily  attempt- 
ing many  things,  in  Queen  Marie's  days,  hardly  saved  his 
life  by  his  eloquent  wisdome."§  His  sound  and  energetic 
mind  seems,  in  some  respects,  to  have  descended  to  his 
daughter,  notwithstanding  the  error  of  her  early  years; 
and  had  that  indiscretion  never  occurred,  few  feminine 
characters  could  have  appeared  more  formed,  in  every 
sense,  to  have  accorded  with  the  uncommon  attributes  of 
Ralegh,  than  that  of  Elizabeth  Throgmorton.  By  report 
of  her  contemporaries,  she  is  said,  in  the  first  place,  to 
have  possessed  personal  attractions  in  an  eminent  degree ; 
and,  in  her  picture,  which  in  the  time  of  Oldys,  the  diligent 
biographer  of  Ralegh,  remained  in  the  possession  of  a  de- 
scendant of  Ralegh,||  she  is  represented  as  a  fair,  handsome 
woman,  attired  in  the  fashion  of  the  day,  and  with  the 
splendor  which  Ralegh  was  wont  so  eminently  to  display. 
This  circumstance,  though  comparatively  unimportant, 
was  perhaps  of  consequence  in  the  eyes  of  Ralegh,  who 
particularly  instructed  his  son  not  to  marry  an  uncomely 
woman.  IT  She  was  in  birth  his  equal,  and,  in  age,  eighteen 
years  his  junior.  But  whilst  these  adventitious  circum- 
Btances  were  in  favor  of  their  mutual  happiness,  the  quali- 

*  See  that  most  iniquitous  book,  entitled,  "  Leicester's  Common 
wealth,"  p.  27.  The  story  is  accredited  by  Camden,  and  by  many  other 
contemporary  writers. 

t  Fuller's  Worthies  of  Warwickshire.  J  Camden. 

§  Camden,  p.  130.  ||  Oldys,  145. 

IT  See  his  Instructions  to  his  son,  and  to  Posterity,  in  Ralegh's  R* 
mains,  duodecimo,  1664,  p.  80. 


60  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGK. 

ties  of  which  her  subsequent  history  does  best  vouch,  and 
which  the  events  of  a  calamitous  life  drew  forth,  were 
singularly  adapted  to  the  part  which  was  in  life  allotted  to 
her.  She  was  capable  of  a  devotion  to  her  husband  be- 
yond the  power  of  absence,  persecution,  and  the  ruin  of  all 
her  temporal  prosperity,  on  his  account,  to  diminish.  She 
had  activity  and  resolution  which  well  became  the  wife  of 
a  hero.  She  had  disinterestedness  worthy  of  the  name  cf 
Ralegh.  In  her  exertions  for  those  who  were  dear  to  her 
she  evinced  the  judgment  and  steadiness  of  a  man ;  in  hei 
constancy  and  disregard  of  personal  comforts  and  consider 
ations,  the  single-heartedness  and  tenderness  of  a  woman's 
nature.  Her  deviation  from  the  delicacy  of  the  feminine 
character  was  not,  in  her  own  times,  viewed  with  the  un 
relenting,  yet  wholesome,  severity  with  which  the  world 
visits  it  in  the  present  day.  By  her  family  Ralegh  seems 
to  have  been  forgiven,  since  we  afterwards  find  her  brother, 
Sir  Arthur  Throgmorton,  associated  with  him  in  his  mari- 
time enterprises.*  By  Queen  Elizabeth,  it  is  to  be  feared, 
the  sin  was  visited,  more  as  a  scandal  to  her  court,  and  an 
offence  to  her  own  paramount  charms,  than  as  a  dereliction 
from  morality.  Soon  after  the  exposure  of  their  fault,  Ra- 
iegh  was  united  to  her  in  marriage,  an  union  pre-eminent- 
ly marked  by  vicissitudes,  but  cheered  by  their  uninter- 
rupted affection.  On  every  important  occurrence  of  his 
life,  we  find  Ralegh  addressing  her  as  the  confidential  re- 
pository of  his  joys  and  afflictions ;  sometimes  in  the  lan- 
guage of  affectionate  consolation  in  their  common  bereave- 
ments, always  in  that  of  regard,  implicit  trust,  and  respect. 
For  some  time,  however,  during  the  early  days  of  their 
married  life,  their  mutual  attachment  seemed  to  bring 
only  separation  and  sorrow.  The  erring  young  lady  was 
dismissed  from  the  court,  to  the  contagion  of  which  she 
probably  owed  her  disgrace ;  and  Ralegh  was  imprisoned 
for  some  months,  as  it  appears  from  a  letter  addressed  by 
Sir  Robert  Cecil  to  Sir  Arthur  Gorges,  in  the  Tower,  f 
Whilst  thus  confined,  he  one  day,  sitting  at  his  window, 
perceived  by  a  collection  of  boats  and  royal  barges,  near 
Blackfriars'  Bridge,  that  the  Queen  was  passing.  It  was 
soon  intimated  to  him  that  she  was  visiting  the  Lieutenant 
of  the  Ordnance,  Sir  George  Carew,  in  whose  custody  he 

•  Oldys,  p.  103.  t  Birch,  2728. 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  61 

was  pining  away  hours  of  obscurity  and  inaction.    Having 
3  and  sighed  a  long  time,  Ralegh,  either  envying  the 
gay  and  the  free,  who  passed  in  busy  succession  by  him,  or 
hoping  to  make  an  impression  upon  the  vain  heart  of  the 
Queen,  resolved  to  disguise  himself,  and  to  get  mto  a  boat, 
to  see  Her  Majesty,  declarmg  that  if  he  were  prevented 
"it  would  break  his  heart."    But  Sir  George  Carew would 
not  permit  so  audacious  an  attempt;  and  Ralegh  strug- 
gling to  be  free,  a  battle  ensued  between   them    which 
might  have  proved  fatal  to  one  of  the  parties,  had  not  a 
timely  mediator  intervened,  who,  according  to  his  own  ac- 
count, «  played  the  stickler*  between  them        This  occur- 
rence was,  however,   conveyed  to   Lord  Burleigh,*   and 
probably  wrought  somewhat  upon  the  Queen,   to  whom 
Ralegh,  in  common  with  other  favored  courtiers,  professed 
that  extravagant  species  of  devotion  with  which  few  women, 
except  Elizabeth,  would  have  been  flattered.     What  was 
the  duration  of  Ralegh's  imprisonment  does  not  appear; 
but  it  is  evident,  from  a  letter  of  Sir  Robert  Cecil  s,  writ- 
ten at  Dartmouth,  in  1592,   and  preserved  m   the  State 
Paper  Office,  that,  even  when  engaged  in  public  business, 
Ralegh  was  attended  by  a  "  keeper,"  and  that  he  felt  ail 
the  inconveniences  and  disgrace  of  a  state  criminal.     Vy 
this  letter,  now  for  the  first  time  printed  (in  the  Appen- 
dix,) Cecil  speaks  of  Ralegh's  "  brutish  ofience ;    yet  it  ap- 
pears, from  the  pains  taken  to  investigate  some  matters 
which  are  unexplained,  that  there  were  other  and  deeper 
sources  of  offence  to  the  Queen  than  the  intrigue  with  her 
attendant;  and,  from  the  tenor  of  the  epistle,  there  is  con- 
siderable reason  to  conclude  that  the  Queen's  displeasure 
had  some  reference  to  Ralegh's  appropriation  of  certain 
prizes,  which  Cecil,  with  other  commissioners,  was  ap- 
pointed to  superintend.     See  Appendix  C. 

It  was  before  Ralegh  was  sentenced  to  a  temporary. du- 
rance, that  he  had,  in  the  House  of  Commons  (m  lo92), 
displayed  his  allegiance  to  the  Queen,  m  a  manner  appa- 
rently hio-hly  satisfactory  to  her,  and  advantageous  to  him- 
self.    Elizabeth,  impoverished  by  the  wars  with  Spam,  had 

*  "Stickler"  according  to  Sir  Walter  Scott,  a  kind  of  second,  who 
with  a  long  stick  k%tthge  combatants  in  a  duel  at  proper  distances  until 
the  combat  began. 

t  See  Birch,  2733. 


02  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

demanded,  rather  than  requested,  subsidies  from  her  par- 
liament. Ralegh  entered  zealously  into  her  views,  and 
suggested  a  plan  for  paying  the  subsidies ;  but  he  strenu- 
ously opposed  a  survey  of  the  wealth  of  the  nation,  a 
scheme  proposed  by  some,  but  which  he  deemed  likely  to 
diminish  the  national  credit.  The  question  of  encouraging 
foreigners,  to  the  detriment  of  English  merchants,  having 
arisen,  he  had  maintained  that  denization  ought  not  to  cir- 
cumvent birthright,  and  that  tolerance,  as  citizens,  to  for- 
eigners, rendered  us  almost  strangers  at  home,  destroying 
that  reciprocation  of  benefits  in  which  social  intercourse 
ought  to  consist.  He  represented  that,  in  harboring  for- 
eigners, we  maintain  those  who  dislike  our  church,  and 
give  liberty  and  encouragement  to  members  of  a  nation 
which  would  not,  in  all  probability,  return  the  obligation ; 
disloyalty,  he  contended,  was  thus  fostered,  and  an  en- 
croaching spirit  in  foreign  adventurers,  engendered.  That 
Ralegh  appears  to  have  carried  these  notions  too  far,  will 
readily  be  allowed,  by  those  who  may  even  reject  the  more 
enlightened  views  of  modern  policy :  for  it  seems  to  admit 
of  a  doubt  that  the  industrious  portion  of  any  community 
would  not,  by  their  presence  and  exertions,  contribute  tc 
the  spirit  of  emulation,  upon  which  advancement  in  all  the 
arts  so  materially  depends. 

But  whilst,  by  attention  to  public  business,  he  was  now 
gradually  establishing  in  the  mind  of  Elizabeth  a  confi- 
dence in  his  talents ;  yet,  as  a  courtier,  Ralegh  was  still 
in  disgrace.  It  was  not,  however,  the  policy  of  Elizabeth 
to  allow  her  able  and  valiant  subjects  to  remain  in  inac- 
tion, whether  they  were  in  or  out  of  favor :  and  it  was  not 
long  before  occasion  offered  to  prove  the  zeal  and  bravery 
of  her  commanders. 

Early  in  the  spring  of  the  year  1596,  the  Queen  had 
been  apprized  that  a  Spanish  fleet  was  again  in  prepara- 
tion, collected  from  the  wrecks  and  remains  of  the  Armada, 
in  order  to  begin  a  fresh  invasion  of  her  territories  upon 
the  coast  of  Ireland.  Elizabeth,  judging  that  it  would,  in 
this  instance,  be  far  more  glorious  to  commence  the  attack, 
equipped  a  fleet  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  sail,  commanded 
by  Lord  Howard  of  Effingham,  at  whose  charge,  in  con- 
junction with  Essex,  the  expenses  of  the  armament  were, 
in  a  great  measure,  defrayed.  The  secret  object  of  the 
expedition  was  Cadiz,  the  situation  of  which  afforded  ths 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  63 

enemy  great  facility  in  carrying  on  his  designs  against  the 
British  dominions.  The  Earl  of  Essex,  to  whom  the  prin- 
cipal command  of  the  land  forces  was  committed,  was  a 
favorite  with  the  people,  who  are  ever  ready  to  prize  those 
qualities  which  they  can  most  easily  comprehend.  Ac- 
cording to  the  general  opinion  of  him,  "  no  man  was  more 
ambitious  of  glory  by  virtue,  no  man  more  careless  of  all 
things  else."*  Yet  he  was  accounted  in  few  respects  a 
good  commander,  was  headstrong  and  rash,  and  was  fre- 
quently unfortunate  in  his  undertakings ;  a  circumstance 
imputed  by  the  astrologers  of  those  superstitious  times  to 
the  "  disastrous  aspect  of  Mars,  which,  in  the  hour  of  his 
nativity,  shined  most  adversely  upon  him  in  the  eleventh 
house  of  Heaven."f  By  less  superstitious  reasoners,  the 
failure  of  most  of  the  enterprises  in  which  Essex  had  the 
command,  may  be  attributed  to  his  precipitate  temper, 
which  displayed  itself  even  in  the  ordinary  and  trivial  ac- 
tions of  his  life. J  The  very  qualities  which  occasioned 
his  ruin  as  a  courtier,  militated  against  his  success  as  a 
general.  An  indifferent  pupil  of  Lord  Leicester,  his  father- 
in-law  and  patrcn,  who,  it  was  said,  "  was  wont  to  put  all 
his  passions  in  his  pockety,"  Essex  could  neither  conceal 
his  emotions,  nor,  what  was  far  more  important,  regulate 
them  :  so  that  he  not  only  "  carried  his  love  and  hatred  on 
his  forehead,"  but  manifested  either  the  one  or  the  other 
upon  too  slight  grounds,  intemperately,  and  often  un- 
justly. ||  Yet  his  resentments  proceeded  rather  "  from  the 
weakness  of  his  judgment,  than  from  the  malice  of  his  na- 
ture," and  whilst  he  sometimes  allowed  them  to  master  his 
better  feelings,  he  was  incapable  of  deliberately  consenting 
to  the  oppression  of  an  innocent  man.  IF 

Such  were  the  qualities  possessed  by  the  chief  in  com- 
mand upon  the  expedition  to  Cadiz :  to  these  must  be  add- 
ed, dauntless  gallantry,  and  an  insatiable  thirst  for  fame  ; 

*  Camden,  553.  t  Camden,  552. 

X  In  the  famous  parallel  between  him  and  the  Duke  of  Buckingham. 
Esses  is  described  as  holding  his  toilet  with  his  room  full  of  suitors: 
"  his  eyes,  his  ears,  his  head,  and  face  employed  at  once ;  his  eyes  to  let- 
ters, his  ears  to  petitioners,  his  head  and  face  to  his  gentlemen  attend- 
ants. Throw  a  cloak  over  his  shoulders,  and  he  was  gone."  Reliq. 
Wottoniae,  16. 

§  Parallel  between  the  Earl  of  Essex  and  the  Duke  of  Buckingham, 
Reliquiae  Wottoniae,  p.  31. 

|  Ibid.  30.  IT  Clarendons  Characters. 


64  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

Essex  in  these  latter  respects,  alone  resembling  his  coad- 
jutor, Ralegh.  It  was,  therefore,  judged  advisable  to  tem- 
per the  rashness,  and  generous,  dauntless  demeanor  of  Es- 
sex, with  the  experience  of  Lord  Howard  of  Effingham, 
mature  in  council,  and  deliberate  in  judgment,  though 
prompt  and  energetic  in  action.  The  fleet,  the  sovereign 
control  of  which  was  placed  in  the  hands  of  Lord  Howard 
of  Effingham,  was  divided  into  three  squadrons,  each  of 
which  was  allotted  to  the  respective  command  of  Essex, 
Lord  Thomas  Howard,  and  Ralegh.  Neither  did  Ralegh 
occupy  the  second  post  in  command,  that  distinction  being 
assigned  to  Lord  Thomas  Howard,  probably  as  a  tribute  to 
the  merits  and  services  of  his  father,  the  High  Admiral, 
who  had,  already,  evinced  some  jealousy  of  the  ascendency 
which  Essex  had  gained  over  the  affections  of  the  Queen.* 
The  fleet  sailed  from  Plymouth  in  the  beginning  of  June, 
1596,  and  proceeded  without  being  descried,  and  conse- 
quently without  interruption,  along  the  coast  of  Portugal, 
to  Cape  Saint  Vincent,  where  every  captain  was  permitted 
to  open  his  instructions,  which  had  hitherto  been  sealed, 
with  directions  not  to  examine  them,  except  in  case  of 
separation  of  the  vessels  from  their  respective  squadrons. 
Upon  the  twentieth  day  of  the  month,  the  fleet  cast  anchor 
on  the  west  side  of  the  island  of  St.  Leon,  which  is  joined, 
by  a  causeway,  to  the  peninsula  on  which  Cadiz  stands. 
Essex  was  here  urgent  that  the  forces  should  be  landed,  a 
proposition  which  was  resisted  by  the  other  commanders, 
and  especially  by  the  Lord  Admiral.  On  the  ensuing  day, 
it  was,  however,  judged  expedient  to  commence  an  attack 
upon  the  Spanish  vessels,  a  counsel  which  was  received  by 
the  impatient  Earl  with  so  much  delight,  that  he  threw  up 
his  hat  in  a  transport  of  joy.  The  assault  was  chiefly 
committed  to  Lord  Thomas  Howard,  and  to  Ralegh,  who, 
in  a  ship  called  the  Warspight,  caused  a  Spanish  vessel  tc 
fall  bacK.  After  being  first  retained,  and  then  floated  in 
by  the  fluctuations  of  the  tide,  the  Spanish  fleet  was  com- 
pletely defeated,  the  principal  ship,  the  Saint  Philip, 
burned,  and  several  other  vessels.  The  pitying  care  of 
Lord  Effingham,  an  Englishman  not  only  in  valor  but  in 
humanity,  saved,  however,  several  large  vessels,  and  res- 
cued from  drowning  many  poor  and  panic-struck  sailors, 

*  Life  of  Lord  Charles  Howard,  Biographia  Britannica. 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  65 

who  had  cast  themselves  into  the  sea,  from  fear  of  capture 
or  death  at  the  hands  of  the  besiegers. 

It  now  remained  to  prevent  all  communication  between 
the  town  and  the  continent,  and  to  storm  the  nearest  gate. 
In  this  service  of  danger,  Essex,  full  of  military  ardor  and 
forgetful  of  personal  security,  was  foremost ;  but  Sir 
Francis  Vere,  one  of  his  council  of  war,  had  the  good  for- 
tune to  break  open  the  gate.  Ralegh,  in  honorable  asso- 
ciation with  the  two  Howards,  and  the  other  principal 
officers,  broke  in,  following  several  English  leaders,  who, 
covered  with  blood,  and  expiring  from  their  wounds,  were 
knighted  by  Essex  and  Effingham  on  the  spot.  In  this  scene 
of  confusion,  victory  was  announced,  the  Spaniards  retiring 
to  the  town-house  and  castle,  both  of  which  they  were  soon 
induced  to  surrender,  upon  conditions  advantageous  to  their 
conquerors. 

The  next  employment  assigned  to  Ralegh  was  to  pass 
up  the  Channel,  in  order  to  fire  certain  merchants'  ships 
which  had  retired  to  Port  Real.  To  save  these  vessels,  a 
ransom  of  eighty  thousand  ducats  was  offered,  but  they 
were  eventually  consumed ;  the  policy  of  the  English  gov- 
ernment, at  that  time,  exacting  as  a  main  point  the  de- 
struction of  the  Spanish  navy,  in  preference  to  the  pursuit 
of  plunder.* 

After  much  consultation,  it  was  determined  not  to  leave 
an  English  garrison  in  Cadiz,  although  Essex  offered  to  re- 
main in  it  with  four  hundred  men.  In  pursuance  of  the 
sad  necessity  of  war,  in  this  instance,  as  far  as  related  to 
the  Spaniards,  alone  aggressive  as  yet  on  the  part  of  Eliz- 
abeth, Cadiz  was  cruelly  devastated,  the  island  of  St.  Leon 
despoiled,  and  the  forts  razed,  the  triumphant  English  bear- 
ing away  the  pillaged  property  of  those  who  had  once  been 
opulent  and  secure.  Impatient  to  reach  more  peaceful 
scenes,  Ralegh,  in  conjunction  with  all  the  other  command- 
ers, except  the  younger  Howard,  opposed  the  desire  evinced 
by  Essex  still  to  pursue  other  detachments  of  the  Spanish 
fleet  towards  the  Azores ;  and,  returning  to  England,  left 
him  with  a  small  portion  of  the  troops  endeavoring  to  track 
the  enemy  on  the  Spanish  shores. 

The  wealth  derived  from  this  expedition  to  most  of  the 
land  commanders  was  considerable ;  but  Ralegh,  either  from 

*  Camden,  463. 

F2 


68  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

being  chiefly  deputed  to  naval  services,  or  from  some  other 
cause,  remained  unenriched.  According  to  his  own  account, 
he  "  got  from  a  splinter  a  lame  leg,  and  deformed,"  and  few 
other  trophies  of  the  victory,  in  which  he  had  a  share.  His 
account  of  his  profits  was,  indeed,  far  from  being  encourag- 
ing, or  cheering.  "  For  the  rest,''  he  says,  "  either  I  spoke 
too  late,  or  it  was  otherwise  resolved :  I  have  not  been 
wanting  in  good  words,  or  exceeding  kind  and  regardful 
usage ;  but  have  possession  of  naught  but  poverty  an 
pain."  Yet  every  honorable  tribute  was  paid  to  his  valor, 
even  by  those  who  doubted  his  sincerity,  or  contemned  his 
political  conduct.  The  Lord  High  Admiral  honored  him 
by  an  especial  mention,  and  Sir  Anthony  Standon,  an  eye- 
witness, wrote  to  the  Lord  High  Treasurer,  that  "  no  man, 
in  his  judgment,  did  better  than  Sir  Walter  Ralegh."* 

It  was  not,  however,  long  after  his  return  from  Cadiz, 
that  Ralegh  obtained  the  consent  of  the  Queen  to  the  pur- 
suance of  a  scheme  which  appeared  to  his  sanguine  mind 
to  promise  both  wealth  and  fame,  but  which,  subsequently, 
involved  his  latter  days  in  perplexity  and  danger,  f 

This  plan  had  for  its  object,  Guiana,  a  part  of  South 
America  which  had  then  only  been  visited  by  the  Span- 
iards :  to  anticipate  that  adventurous  nation  in  the  seizure 
of  uncolonized  lands,  and  in  the  discovery  of  precious  min- 
erals, was  the  avowed  object  of  this,  and  of  most  similar 
enterprises  of  the  period.  It  had  long  been  a  subject  of 
meditation  to  Ralegh,  who  declares,  in  his  dedication  of  the 
History  of  Guiana,  that  "  many  years  since  he  had  know- 
ledge, by  relation,  of  that  mighty,  rich,  and  beautiful  em- 
pire of  Guiana,  and  of  that  great  and  golden  city  which  the 
Spaniards  call  El  Dorado,  and  the  naturals  Manoa."J  To 
investigate  this  boasted  region,  afterwards  the  source  of  so 
much  reproach  and  so  much  calamity  to  him,  he  resolved 
to  set  forth,  having  previously  sent  his  servants,  Jacob 
Whiddon  and  Captain  Parker,  who,  the  year  before,  had 
brought  home  reports  that  there  was  such  a  place  as  El 
Dorado,  although  they  found  it  to  be  six  hundred  miles 
farther  than  they  had  anticipated.  Whiddon,  however,  re- 
turned with  so  favorable  an  account  of  the  riches  of  the 
country,  that  Ralegh  resolved  to  investigate  it ; — a  project 
in  which  he  was  encouraged  by  the  concurrence  of  Sit 

*  Birch,  i.  35.  t  Birch's  Memoirs  of  Queen  Elizabeth,  ii.  34. 

t  See  Hakluyt's  Voyages,  vol.  iii. 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  67 

Robert  Cecil  and  Lord  Howard,  both  men  of  profound 
judgment,  and  of  caution  and  experience.* 

He  prepared,  at  his  own  charge,  a  squadron,  composed 
of  five  ships,  besides  barges,  wherries,  and  other  requisite 
aid ;  but,  either  from  deficiency  of  means  or  of  information, 
he  omitted,  as  it  appears  from  his  own  account,  taking  with 
him  such  supplies  of  men  and  of  instruments  for  mining  as 
seemed  essential  for  his  purpose  of  investigation.  Concern- 
ing this  voyage  he  was  assailed  with  reports  of  the  most 
malignant  character,  and  little  immediate  reward  was  de- 
rived from  the  expenses  and  hazards  which  he  encounter- 
ed. He  describes  himself  to  have  set  out  on  this  arduous 
undertaking  "in  the  winter  of  his  life;"  to  have  "under- 
gone many  constructions,  to  have  been  accompanied  with 
many  sorrows,  with  labor,  hunger,  heat,  sickness,  and 
peril."f  "  From  myself,"  he  observes,  "  I  have  deserved 
no  thanks,  for  I  am  returned  a  beggar,  and  withered  ;  but 
that  I  might  have  bettered  my  poor  estate,  it  shall  appear 
by  the  following  discourse,  if  I  had  not  only  respected  her 
Majesty's  future  honor  and  riches.  It  became  not  the  for- 
mer fortune  in  which  I  lived  to  go  journeys  of  piccory ; 
and  it  had  sorted  ill  with  the  offices  of  honor,  which,  by  her 
Majesty's  grace,  I  hold  this  day  in  England,  to  run  from 
cape  to  cape,  and  from  place  to  place,  for  the  pillage  of  or- 
dinary prizes."^ 

In  1595  he  set  sail  from  Plymouth ;  and,  after  taking  in 
fresh  provisions  at  the  Canaries,  he  was  joined  by  a  ship 
belonging  to  Lord  Charles  Howard ;  and  in  the  middle  of 
March  arrived  at  Trinidad,  where  he  remained  four  or  five 
days.  Of  this  island  Ralegh  has  given  an  account,  in  the 
interesting  and  animated  style  which  characterizes  all  his 
writings.  He  mentions,  indeed,  but  slightly,  the  celebrat- 
ed Pitch  Lake  Brea,  which  has  since  been  found  to  cover 
one  hundred  and  fifty  acres ;  but  expatiates  upon  the  Man- 
grove oysters,  a  species  of  natural  production,  then  proba- 
bly new  to  him ;  and  he  appears  to  have  made  very  minute 
observations  upon  the  produce  of  this  region.  At  Trinidad 
he  gained  such  intelligence  as  the  Spaniards  resident  there 
could  afford  him  respecting  Guiana :  he  cherished,  never- 
theless, at  that  time,  a  design  of  revenging  himself  upon 

*  Birch,  29.  t  See  Dedication  to  his  Narrative, 

t  See  Voyage  to  Guiana. 


68  LIFE  OP  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

Antonio  de  Berreo,  the  governor  of  San  Joseph,  the  capitai 
of  the  Spanish  settlement  there,  for  the  destruction  of  eight 
men,  whom  De  Berreo  had  betrayed  into  the  woods,  in  the 
©receding  year,  under  amicable  pretences.  In  the  execu- 
tion of  his  purpose,  Ralegh  manifested  an  indifference  tc 
human  suffering,  which,  however  disregarded  by  conquer- 
ors in  general,  might  have  claimed  some  consideration  from 
a  philosophical  warrior.  Justifying  his  conduct  to  his  own 
mind,  with  the  pretence  of  revenging  the  cruelty  shown 
by  De  Berreo  to  the  native  princes  of  the  soil,  and  explain- 
ing it  to  his  country,  by  the  expediency  of  not  leaving  a 
hostile  colony  to  annoy  him  on  his  return  from  Guiana, 
Ralegh  stormed  and  burned  the  city,  taking  De  Berreo 
prisoner,  and  carrying  him  to  his  own  vessel. 

To  this  commander  he  made,  however,  every  reparation 
in  his  power  for  the  injury  done  him,  by  treating  him  in 
such  a  manner  as  his  rank  required,  and  his  character 
merited,  De  Berreo  as  Ralegh  affirms,  "being  both  very 
valiant  and  liberal,  a  gentleman  of  great  assuredness,  and 
of  a  great  heart."  From  him  Ralegh  learned  that  Guiana 
was  six  hundred  miles  farther  from  the  sea  than  he  had 
been  before  informed ;  but  this  fact  he  sedulously  concealed 
from  his  companions,  who  would  have  been  dismayed  by 
the  intelligence.  He  then  proceeded  four  hundred  miles 
of  this  journey,  leaving  his  ships  at  anchor,  and  taking 
with  him  the  small  barges  and  an  old  galley,  in  which  he 
contrived  with  great  inconvenience  to  stow  one  hundred 
persons ;  but  the  lateness  of  the  season,  and  the  overflow- 
ing of  the  rivers,  prevented  them  from  reaching  what  he 
expected  to  prove  the  vicinity  of  El  Dorado,  the  object  of 
the  enterprise.  The  effect  of  Ralegh's  labors  was,  in  fact, 
little  else  than  a  more  extensive  investigation  of  the  coun- 
try than  had  hitherto  been  made ;  and  the  surrender  into 
his  hands  of  several  petty  princes,  to  whom  he  extolled  the 
name  of  Elizabeth,  and  showed  her  picture,  which,  he  de- 
clares, "  they  so  admired  and  honoitid,  as  it  had  been  easy 
to  have  made  them  idolatrous  thereof."  Such  was  the 
flattery  with  which  even  Ralegh  did  not  disdain  to  season 
his  works.* 

Of  the  country  through  which  he  passed,  and  of  its  pro- 
duce, both  mineral  and  vegetable,  he  has  given  a  long  and 


*  Voyage  to  Guiana 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  69 

minute  account ;  the  fidelity  of  which,  from  some  appear- 
ances of  exaggeration,  has  been  generally  doubted. 

To  the  advocates  of  Ralegh  the  description  of  his  pro- 
gress through  Guiana  has  appeared,  from  internal  evi- 
dence, to  be  written  in  good  faith ;  and  to  be  a  genuine  nar- 
rative, coming  from  the  pen  of  an  ingenuous  but  lively 
writer :  by  others,  less  credulous,  it  has  been  thought  that 
the  imagination  of  Ralegh,  heightened  by  a  sanguine  tem- 
per, gave  splendor  to  that  scenery,  and  especially  to  those 
hills  which  he  describes  to  be  sparkling  "  with  stones  of 
the  color  of  gold  and  silver;"  and  that  it  was  his  object,  as 
it  undoubtedly  seemed  to  be  his  interest,  to  heighten  the 
representation  of  these  appearances.  Respecting  these 
accounts,  the  veracity  of  Ralegh  \\Pas,  at  a  subsequent  pe- 
riod of  his  life,  strictly  called  to  account,  and  mercilessly 
weighed ;  and  posterity  has,  in  this  point,  been  scarcely 
more  favorable  to  him  than  his  contemporaries. 

The  results  of  his  enterprise  were  found  to  be  rather 
surmises  than  facts,  dreams  of  splendor  instead  of  realiza- 
tions of  value.  It  is  scarcely  too  harsh  a  judgment  to  af- 
firm, that  the  credit  of  Ralegh  was  considerably  shaken 
by  the  narrative  which  he  penned,  upon  his  return  to  Eng- 
land. 

His  statements  respecting  the  mineral  productions  of 
Guiana  were,  in  the  first  place,  rash  and  unqualified,  and, 
to  say  the  least,  threw  some  degree  of  doubt  upon  his  dis- 
crimination in  such  matters.  In  alluding  to  them,  he  thus 
expresses  himself: — "  For  the  rest,  which  myself  have 
seen,  I  will  promise  these  things  that  follow,  and  know 
to  be  true.  Those  who  are  desirous  to  discover  and  to 
see  many  nations  may  be  satisfied  within  this  river 
(Oronooko,)  which  bringeth  forth  so  many  arms  and 
branches,  leading  to  several  counties  and  provinces,  about 
2000  miles  east  and  west,  and  800  miles  north  and  south, 
and  of  these  the  most  rich  either  in  gold  or  in  other  mer- 
chandises. The  common  soldier  shall  here  fight  for 
gold,  and  pay  himself,  instead  of  pence,  with  plates  of 
half  a  foot  broad,  whereas  he  breaketh  his  bones  in  other 
wars  for  provant  and  penury."*  Assertions  such  as  these, 
and  promises  of  the  most  dazzling  and  alluring  nature, 
abound  in  the  narrative  of  his  first  voyage  to  Guiana ;  a 

*  Voyage  to  Guiana. 


70  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

work  calculated  in  the  highest  degree  to  ensnare  the  fancy 
of  the  adventurous  and  speculative  part  of  the  community, 
and  obviously  written  with  that  intention.  Every  circum- 
stance which  he  relates  is  touched  with  the  coloring  of 
fancy  or  of  artifice;  every  stone  which  the  travellers 
picked  up  is  said  to  promise  "  gold  or  silver  by  its  com- 
plexion ;"  the  hills,  too,  abound  with  that  description  of  ore 
"  called  by  the  Spaniards  madre  del  oro ;"  in  short,  the 
narrative  reminds  the  reader  of  the  well-known  description 
of  Calypso's  island,  where  all  was  allurement,  and  seeming 
luxuriance  of  goodness.  And  the  notion  of  fiction  becomes 
irresistible,  and  is  confirmed,  when  the  author  proceeds 
to  tell  us  of  a  tribe  in  Guiana  "  having  their  eyes  in  their 
shoulders,  and  their  mouths  in  the  middle  of  their  breasts, 
and  a  long  train  of  hair  growing  backward  between  their 
shoulders ;"  which,  he  continues,  "  though  it  may  be  thought 
a  mere  fable,  yet  for  mine  own  part  I  am  resolved  it  is  true, 
because  every  child  in  the  provinces  of  Arromaia  and  Ca- 
nuri  affirm  the  same."*  After  such  a  specimen  of  fabulous 
composition  as  this,  it  is  almost  needless  to  remark,  that 
Ralegh's  accounts  of  the  climate,  even  allowing  for  varia- 
tions of  time,  are  wholly  at  variance  with  truth,  and  are 
evidently  tinged  with  partiality.  According  to  his  account, 
the  country  is  so  healthful,  that,  notwithstanding  every 
possible  imprudence  on  the  part  of  his  companions,  they 
found  no  calentura,f  nor  other  of  those  pestilent  diseases 
v/hich  dwell  in  all  hot  regions."  A  very  different  de- 
scription is,  nevertheless,  afforded  by  the  intelligent  Doctor 
Bancroft,  who  visited  it  in  1796 :  by  him,  we  are  informed, 
that  the  natives  were  liable  to  a  frightful  and  contagious 
species  of  leprosy,  and  that  intermitting  fevers  were  ende- 
mial  near  the  sea.J  Subsequent  travellers  have  also  de- 
nounced the  climate  as  aguish,  and  likely  to  engender 
malignant  fevers;  circumstances  which  are  easily  to  be 
accounted  for  by  the  inundations,  and  by  the  masses  of 
animal  and  vegetable  matter  which  settle  and  putrefy  in 
the  waters,  occasioned  by  the  heavy  rains.  J 

This  discrepancy  between  the  accounts  given  by  Ralegh 
and  those  furnished  by  other  travellers  is  the  more  remarka- 

*  Voyage  to  Guiana.  f  Intermittent  fever,  or  ague. 

J  Bancroft's  Essay  on  the  Natural  History  of  Guiana,  p.  397. 

§  Malte  Brun  vol.  v.  part  2.  p.  554.,  from  Leblond  de  la  Fievre  Jaune. 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  71 

ble  in  this  instance,  because,  wherever  a  favorable  report 
of  the  soil  or  produce  could  be  conveyed,  the  details  which 
Ralegh's  pen  affords  correspond  almost  exactly  with  those 
of  other  writers  on  Guiana.  In  his  representations  of  the 
variety  and  occasional  grandeur  of  the  scenery,  of  the 
luxuriance  and  nature  of  the  timber,  and  of  the  variations 
of  the  seasons,  he  is  borne  out  by  the  testimony  of  less  in- 
terested authors;*  and  he  appears  to  have  studied  and 
described  the  manners,  and  religious  superstitions  of  the 
natives,  with  great  accuracy,  f 

In  mitigation  of  the  strong  charges  of  exaggeration 
brought  against  Ralegh,  it  must  be  observed,  that  extrava- 
gant notions  at  that  time  prevailed  in  Europe  respecting 
the  treasures  of  Guiana ;  not,  as  Dr.  Bancroft,  at  a  much 
later  period,  remarks,  "  perhaps  wholly  chimerical ;"  in  his 
opinion,  Guiana,  contained  "  undoubtedly  mines  of  gold 
and  silver,  since  the  Spaniards  have  discovered  some  near 
the  river  Oronooko."|  In  reply  to  this  assertion,  it  may 
be  observed,  that  little  importance  ought  to.  be  attached  to 
the  popular  notions  of  the  times,  this  region  being  then  al- 
most unexplored.  Of  Guiana,  Ralegh  remarks,  that  it 
was  in  his  time  "  unsacked,  unwrought,"  her  surface  un- 
torn  by  the  spoiler,  her  graves  unopened  for  gold,"  and  it 
remained,  during  the  lapse  of  two  successive  centuries, 
almost  equally  unknown,  until  Bancroft,  a  traveller  un- 
versed, as  he  avows  himself,  in  scientific  lore,  visited  it 
in  1796.  This  ingenious  and  pleasing  writer  ascribes  the 
uncertainty  which  prevailed  respecting  the  mineral  pro- 
duce of  Guiana  to  the  policy  of  the  Dutch,  to  whom  it  was 
ceded  in  1674,  by  the  English,  in  exchange  for  New- 
York.  5  By  the  Dutch  it  was  planted  with  canes ;  and  the 
discovery  and  working  of  mines  prohibited,  from  tha  expe- 
rience of  those  ill  effects  which  accrued  to  Spain  from  her 
acquisitions  of  Peru  and  Chili.  ||  The  account  of  Bancroft, 
which  is  somewhat  in  favor  of  Ralegh's  veracity,  must, 
however,  yield  to  that  of  later  and  more  able  observers  of 
the  region  in  question.  No  precious  metals  have,  to  this 
day,  been  discovered  in  Guiana,  few  of  the  minerals  being 


*  See  Oldys,  p.  88. 

f  See  Bancroft,  pp.  13.  ]7.  22.    Also,  account  of  Guiana  in  Churchill's 
collection,  vol.  v.  p.  548. 
I  Baaarad,-*.  22.  §  Ibid.  p.  13.  J  Ibid. p  22. 


72  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

metalliferous ;  and  the  medicinal  plants  of  Guiana  constx 
tuting  its  most  valuable  produce.* 

The  credulity,  or  rather,  as  it  has  been  considered  by 
the  world,  the  falsehood  of  Ralegh,  may  be  extenuated  by 
the  fact,  that  he  was  neither  the  first  traveller  nor  the  last 
that  extolled  the  treasures  of  Guiana  upon  his  personal  ob- 
servation. In  1541,  Philip  de  Hutten,  a  German  knight, 
had  described  the  houses  of  a  certain  town  there  which  he 
had  visited  "  to  shine  as  if  they  had  been  overlaid  with 
gold."  It  has  since  been  conjectured,  that  he  may  have 
mistaken  talc  for  gold,  an  error  which  may  also  have  been 
committed  by  Ralegh,  f  Subsequently  to  Ralegh's  first 
expedition  in  1609,  Robert  Harcourt,  of  Stanton  Harcourt, 
again  investigated  Guiana,  with  a  design  of  planting  it, 
and  with  a  patent  from  James  I.  to  that  effect.  This  gen- 
tleman, both  from  his  own  observation,  and  from  intelli- 
gence afforded  him  by  the  inhabitants  of  Trinidad,  con- 
firmed, in  most  particulars,  the  account  of  Ralegh,  and 
evinced  a  degree  of  faith  scarcely  less  than  that  displayed 
by  his  predecessor,  in  the  existence  of  remote  treasures 
within  the  bosom  of  Guiana;  he  extolled,  in  high  terms, 
Ralegh's  narrative,  which  he  calls  an  "  effectual  and  faith- 
ful account;"  praising,  at  the  same  time,  the  hardihood 
with  which  Ralegh  had  pursued  an  enterprise  which  was 
only  to  be  frustrated  by  grievous  and  unforeseen  acci- 
dents.! 

This  tribute,  proceeding  from  a  rival  navigator,  and  so 
shortly  after  the  first  voyage  to  Guiana,  might  be  consider- 
ed as  affording  material  evidence  in  favor  of  Ralegh's  vera- 
city, were  it  borne  out  by  the  investigations  of  later  times. 
But  the  notions  of  Guiana  which  prevailed  in  Ralegh's  day, 
have,  by  modern  research,  been  proved  to  resemble  the 
wildest  and  most  improbable  dreams  of  romance.  By  many, 
even  intelligent  persons,  of  the  16th  and  17th  centuries, 
the  story  of  the  Lake  Panama,  the  sands  of  which  were 
said  to  be  of  gold,  was  not  discredited,  and  a  belief  was  en- 
tertained in  the  existence  of  the  fabulous  city  of  Manoa,  or 
El  Dorado,  near  the  river  Oronooko.  The  popular  desig- 
nation of  the  country  was  indeed,  "El  Dorado,"  or  in  some 


*  Malte  Brun's  Geography,  vol.  v.  part  2.  p.  555. 
|  Malte  Brun,  vol.  v.  part  2.  p.  563. 
J  Harleian  Miscellany,  vol.  iii.  p.  174. 


LIFE  OF  SIR   WALTER   RALEGH. 


73 


parts,  the  country  of  the  Amazons  ;  Guiana  being  a  name 
applied  to  it  by  the  Indians.*  Little,  in  short,  was  known 
of  it;  even  the  celebrated  Camden  adopted  Ralegh's  highly 
colored  descriptions  without  a  doubt,  referring  the  reader  of 
his  own  pages  to  an  "elegant  book  "  of  Sir  Walter  Ralegh, 
wherein  he  most  accurately  describeth  the  countries,  "as- 
if  he  had  been  born  and  bred  there."  f 

No  sooner  had  Ralegh  returned  to  England,  than  he  felt 
the  full  extent  of  those  annoyances  and  inconveniences 
which  a  sanguine  disposition  experiences  from  the  in- 
credulous, or  perhaps  slanderous  portion  of  the  community. 
He  brought  home,  it  is  true,  a  quantity  of  ore,  which  was 
proved  by  the  comptroller  of  the  Mint,  and  in  Goldsmith's 
Hall,  and  was  found  to  contain  26.900  pounds  a  ton.  J 
By  some  persons,  the  quality  of  this  gold  was  disputed  ;  by 
others,  it  was  asserted  that  it  had  been  purchased  in  Bar- 
bary,  carried  on  to  Guiana,  and  afterwards  conveyed  to  this 
country.  It  is  possible  that  Queen  Elizabeth  was  some- 
what influenced  by  these  rumors ;  for  although  she  received 
Ralegh  again  into  her  favor,  she  gave  him  no  assurance  of 
assistance  in  any  future  voyage  to  Guiana.  He  represented, 
indeed,  the  capability  of  retaining  the  whole  empire  of 
Guiana  by  the  erection  of  one  large  fort  or  town ;  and  the 
facility  of  reuniting  companies,  scattered  over  the  coun- 
try, by  the  great  river  Oronooko.  This  territory  had  been 
already  offered  to  Henry  the  Seventh  by  Columbus,  whose 
representations  of  its  riches  were  thought  to  be  incredible ; 
and  Elizabeth  appears  to  have  adopted,  in  this  instance,  the 
cautious  policy  of  her  grandfather,  whom,  in  many  points, 
she  resembled.  Ralegh  concludes  his  work  by  declaring 
that  it  would  "  ill  sort  with  the  favors  that  he  had  received 
to  abuse  her  Highness  the  Queen  with  fables  or  imagina- 
tions ,"  and,  recommending  her  to  employ  all  those  soldiers 
and  officers  who  are  younger  brethren  in  the  enterprise,  he 
also  expresses  his  conviction,  that  if  his  counsels  were  fol- 
lowed, "  there  would  soon  be  a  house  of  contractation  of  more 
receipt  for  Guiana  than  there  is  now  in  Seville  for  the  West 
Indies."  §  But  neither  this  scheme  nor  any  other,  for  the 
colonization  of  Guiana,  was  pursued  by  Elizabeth,  who  was 

*  Bancroft,  p.  281.  t  Camden,  p.  444. 

J  Note  in  Cayley,  to  Narrative  of  Discovery  of  Guiana,  vol.  ii.  p.  165. 
J  Discov.  Guiana,  Birch,  vol.  ii.  p.  234. 

a 


74  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

either  deterred  by  the  expense  of  such  a  project,  or  doubt 
ful  of  the  truth  of  Ralegh's  statements.  Yet,  in  the  follow- 
ing year,  he  again  sent  out  two  ships  at  his  own  expense, 
under  the  command  of  Captain  Keymis,  with  the  aid  of 
500Z.  advanced  to  him  by  the  Lord  Treasurer,  and  a  new 
ship,  the  very  hull  of  which  stood  its  owner,  Sir  Robert 
Cecil,  800Z.*  Keymis,  on  his  return,  published  an  account 
of  further  discoveries,  and  dedicated  the  work  to  Ralegh.f 
The  voyage   to  Guiana,   with   its   acquisition  of  great 
riches  in  perspective,  tended  greatly  to  reinstate  Ralegh  in 
the  favor  of  Elizabeth,  who  justly  testified  her  approbation 
of  exertions  which  tended  to  improve  nautical  skill,  to  ex- 
,  rqfi   tend  the  British  power,  and  to  increase  the  contents 
'  of  her  treasury. 


CHAPTER  IE. 

The  Island  Voyage : — Mortifications  sustained  by  Raleigh : — Failure  of 
the  Expedition. — State  of  Affairs  at  Home. — Decline  and  subsequen 
Ruin  of  Essex  : — The  Share  which  Ralegh  had  in  that  Affair. 

i  r.m  The  siege  of  Cadiz,  justly  called  by  Lord  Clar- 
'  endon  "Essex  fortunatest  piece,!"  was  shortly  fol- 
lowed by  an  enterprise  similar  in  its  object  and  arrange- 
ment, but  far  less  brilliant  in  the  success  of  its  operations. 
Of  this  expedition,  which,  from  the  nature  of  its  destina- 
tion, was  called  the  Island  Voyage,  Ralegh  would  probably 
have  had  the  command,  had  not  the  superior  influence  of 
Essex  intervened.  The  Queen  was  now  entirely  recon- 
ciled to  him  who  had  explored  Guiana,  and  assisted  in  the 
reduction  of  Cadiz  ;  and,  although  she  continued  for  some 
time  to  suspend  Ralegh  from  his  post  as  captain  of  the 
guard,  she  suffered  him,  early  in  the  spring,  to  entertain 
hopes  of  being  allowed  to  resume  that  office.  In  June,  Ra- 
legh being  presented  to  her  by  Sir  Robert  Cecil,  he  was 
received  with  great  affability,  rode  in  her  majesty's  train 
the  same  evening,  and  was  permitted  entrance  into  her 
privy  chamber,  with  the  advantage  of  holding  conferences 

*  Cayley,  from  Sydney  Papers,  284.  t  Birch,  vol.  i.  p.  30. 

\  Parallel  between  Essex  and  Buckingham.  Reliquis  Wottonioe,  p.  3L 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  75 

with  her,  in  the  same  manner  as  before  his  banishment 
from  court.* 

Under  these  favorable  circumstances,  and  seconded  by 
the  interest  of  the  two  Cecils,  who  were  at  that  time  his 
powerful  friends,  Ralegh  appeared  to  hold  a  station  in  the 
queen's  favor,  which  might  justify  expectations  of  being 
henceforward  the  chief  in  command  on  any  maritime  un- 
dertaking of  danger  and  responsibility  ;  for  he  was  at  this 
time  undoubtedly  the  most  approved  and  experienced  naval 
officer  that  Elizabeth  could  appoint.  Effingham  was  ill, 
and  declined  service ;  and  Hawkins  and  Drake  were  no 
more,  those  great  men  having  died  during  the  preceding 
year,  within  two  months  of  each  other,  from  the  effects  of 
disappointment  and  anxiety  in  an  unsuccessful  expedition 
against  the  Spaniards.  To  Ralegh,  therefore,  might  the 
most  important  trusts  appear  naturally  to  belong,  by  right 
of  age  and  character. 

But  Elizabeth  never,  until  Essex  rose  to  manhood,  dis- 
mayed her  feminine  weakness  in  its  utmost  extent ;  nor  did 
she,  during  the  sad  and  almost  degrading  residue  of  her 
days,  ever  cease  to  act  from  impulses,  which  were  stimu- 
lated either  by  the  hopes  of  a  passionate  attachment,  or  by 
the  stings  of  unrequited  affection.  To  gratify  the  ambition 
of  her  favorite,  she  placed  him,  therefore,  without  one  con- 
sideration of  justice,  at  the  head  of  an  expedition  which  he 
was  but  partially  qualified  to  direct.  There  are,  probably, 
few  situations  which  require  more  patient  endurance,  than 
that  of  a  man  who  is  conscious  of  his  own  powers ;  who  is 
confident,  not  from  arrogance,  but  experience,  of  his  abili- 
ties ;  and  thirsting  for  an  honorable  distinction,  and  who 
finds  himself,  with  unmerited  partiality,  placed  beneath  the 
level  of  one  who  has  neither  equal  claims  to  distinction, 
nor  strength  of  intellect  sufficient  to  create  such  claims 
by  future  services.  Such  was  the  situation,  and  such  may 
have  been  the  sentiments,  of  Ralegh  on  seeing  Essex  pro- 
moted to  a  principal  post ;  whilst  he,  far  more  advanced  in 
knowledge,  as  well  as  in  years,  was  required  to  play  a  sub- 
ordinate part  to  a  man  in  mental  capacity  greatly  his  in- 
ferior. From  these  feelings,  secret,  but  doubtless  strong, 
it  is  probable  that  much  of  Ralegh's  subsequent  aversion  to 
the  unfortunate  Essex  proceeded ;  and  it  i?  also  probable,  that 

*  Sydney  Papers,  vol.  ii.  24.  27.  42.  44  54. 


76  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

from  this  irritating  source,  and  from  a  consciousness  of  in  • 
feriority  on  the  part  of  the  Earl,  some  of  the  disasters,  and 
many  of  the  annoyances  of  their  common  undertaking, 
arose. 

Essex  was,  however,  at  this  time  intoxicated  with  suc- 
cess; and  well  has  he  been  described  as  having  been 
"  drawn  into  the  fatal  circle"  of  a  public  career,  for  which 
he  was  by  nature  but  indifferently  calculated.  This  island 
voyage  was,  indeed,  the  beginning  of  his  decline  in  public 
estimation,  and  consequently  in  the  confidence  of  his  royal 
mistress,  who  was  ever  attentive  to  the  indications  of  popu- 
lar opinion.* 

The  purpose  of  Queen  Elizabeth,  in  this  her  last  under- 
taking against  the  Spaniards,  was  to  destroy  their  fleet  at 
Ferrol,  or  any  of  their  vessels  containing  treasures  from 
the  West  Indies  ;  and  to  conquer  and  garrison  the  Azore 
islands,  that  of  Terceira,  the  most  important,  although  not 
the  largest,  being  especially  marked  out  as  an  object  of 
attack.f 

The  fleet  was  divided  into  three  squadrons,  commanded 
by  Essex,  Lord  Thomas  Howard,  and,  lastly,  Ralegh.  Un- 
der Essex,  Sir  Charles  Blount,  afterwards  Lord  Mountjoy, 
commanded  the  land  forces,  an  appointment  which  gave 
great  offence  to  Sir  Francis  Vere,  who  was  marshal  of  the 
army.  It  appears,  also,  that  Ralegh  had  a  concern  in 
some  quarrel  with  Vere ;  for  Essex,  on  arriving  at  Wey- 
mouth, deemed  it  expedient  to  insist  upon  the  two  knights 
shaking  hands,  an  act  of  reconciliation  which  was  per- 
formed, according  to  Sir  Francis  Vere,  "  the  more  will- 
ingly, because  there  had  nothing  passed  between  us  to 
blemish  reputation."J 

Between  De  Vere  and  Ralegh  there  was,  however,  a 
great  degree  of  enmity  ;  a  circumstance  which  the  former, 
in  his  commentaries,  attributes  to  envy  of  the  notice  taken 
of  him  by  the  Earl  of  Essex.  It  was  arranged  that  Ralegh 
should  take  precedence  of  De  Vere  by  sea ;  and  that  De 
Vere,  in  his  capacity  as  marshal,  should  have  the  prece- 
dence by  land,  §  It  was  an  additional  cause  of  mortifica- 
tion to  Ralegh  in  this  voyage,  that  the  principal  officers 
were  mostly  either  his  personal  foes,  or,  what  amounted 
nearly  to  the  same,  the  peculiar  friends  of  Essex.     Even 

*  Parallel  between  Essex  and  Bucks,  3.      t  Oldys,  m. 

X  Camden,  p.  471.  §  Biog.  Brittan.  Art.  Vere. 


LIFE  OP  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  77 

Sir  Charles  Blount,  recently  the  rival  of  the  Ear,  was 
now  his  sworn  ally,  becoming  afterwards,  indeed,  his  rela- 
tion, by  his  scandalous  marriage  with  Penelope  Devereux, 
the  sister  of  the  Earl,  and  even  at  the  time  of  her  union 
with  Mountjoy  the  wife  of  Lord  Rich.  Trifling  and  hasty 
disputes  become  to  generous  minds,  in  some  cases,  induce- 
ments to  good-will  and  motives  to  good  actions.  Such 
was  the  nature  of  Essex,  that  he  could  not  only  forgive  but 
cherish  those  who  manfully  and  honorably  opposed  him. 
It  was  still  fresh  in  the  memory  of  the  people,  that  Blount 
had  excited  the  jealousy  of  the  Earl  by  wearing  round  his 
arm  a  queen  of  chess  enamelled,  which  had  been  given 
him  by  Elizabeth,  as  a  reward  for  his  success  in  the  tilt- 
yard.  Some  unguarded  expressions,  implying  that  "  every 
fool  had  now  his  favor,"  were  repeated  from  Essex  to 
Blount,  who  immediately  challenged  him.  They  fought 
in  Marybone  Park,  and  Essex  was  wounded  in  the  thigh. 
The  affair  came  to  the  ears  of  the  Queen,  who  swore  her 
hereditary  oath  (by  God's  death)  that  she  "would  have 
some  one  take  Essex  down,  and  teach  him  manners."* 
This  discipline  restored  peace,  and  the  rivals  became 
friends.f  Sir  George  Carew  was  appointed  lieutenant  of 
the  ordnance,  and  Sir  Christopher  Blount  chief  colonel. 
These  men  were  principally  adherents  or  friends  of  Essex, 
and  were  joined  by  his  partisan,  and  subsequently  fellow- 
sufferer,  the  Earl  of  Southampton,  and  by  various  other 
noblemen  and  knights,  all  with  "  their  feathers  waving  and 
gay  clothes,"  a  vanity  peculiar  to  the  English  in  war,  ac- 
cording to  the  opinion  of  Camden.  The  important  charge 
of  victualling  the  forces  having  been  assigned  to  Ralegh, 
he  undertook  to  find  provisions  during  three  months  for 
6,000  men,  at  the  rate  of  nine-pence  per  diem.  Bridewell, 
Winchester  House,  and  Durham  House,  were  given  to 
him  as  magazines.  Ralegh  protesting  that  he  ^lould  be  a 
loser  by  this  agreement,  it  was  remarked,  that  "  few  peo- 
ple were  of  that  opinion  except  himself."  J  After  the  fleet 
had  been  two  days  at  sea,  directions  were  given  to  each 
squadron  to  proceed  severally  to  Ferrol  and  to  the  Groyne 
(Corunna),  in  order  to  surprise  a  portion  of  the  Spanish 
fleet  in  their  harbors,  and  to  intercept  other  of  its  squad- 
rons, on  their  passage  from  India,  at  the  Azores.     By  tliis 

*  Camden,  p.  552.  t  Naunton's  Regalia  Fragmenta,  p.  19. 

1  Collins'8  Sydney  Papers,  vol.  ii.  37 — 44. 

G2 


78  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH 

plan  the  English  expected  to  gain  the  sole  sovereignty  01 
the  ocean ;  and  Essex  gave  out  openly,  that  he  intended 
either  to  defeat  the  Spanish  fleet,  or  to  sacrifice  himself 
for  his  country.  Scarcely  were  the  squadrons  forty  leagues 
from  Plymouth,  when  a  tempest  assailed  them.  A  thick 
mist  enveloped  every  object ;  and  the  thunder  was  only 
surpassed  in  horror  by  the  agitated  waves,  upon  which  the 
vessels  rode  powerless.  This  warfare  of  the  elements 
lasted  four  days,  and  completely  subdued  the  courage  of 
the  stoutest  hearts,  so  that  all  were  rejoiced  to  hail  the 
friendly  harbor  of  Plymouth,  and  of  other  towns  on  that 
coast.  The  ship  of  Lord  Howard  of  Effingham,  the  High 
Admiral,  was  shattered,  and  the  sailors  were  so  intimidated, 
that  some  of  them,  to  the  disgrace  of  Englishmen,  with- 
drew to  their  peaceful  homes  on  shore.*  After  some  re- 
cruiting, the  fleet  again  set  sail,  but  were  again  detained 
a  whole  month  by  weather  in  the  Downs,  and  their  provi- 
sions all  spent.  At  that  time  there  were  no  means  of 
quickly  replenishing  such  diminished  stores.  It  became 
necessary  to  disband  all  the  land  forces,  to  send  away 
many  of  the  smaller  ships,  and  to  abandon  all  thoughts  of 
going  either  to  Ferrol  or  the  Groyne.  The  chief  officers 
then  deliberated  as  to  the  propriety  of  proceeding  to  the 
Azores,  and  were  all  in  favor  of  that  undertaking  except 
Vere,  who  maintained  the  hazard,  and  positive  dishonor,  of 
such  an  enterprise.  Upon  this  dilemma,  Essex  and  Ralegh 
hastened  to  the  Queen,  who,  after  listening  to  the  extrava- 
gant scheme  of  Essex,  to  attack  the  Spanish  fleet  at  all 
hazards,  left  it  to  her  commanders  to  determine  their  own 
course. 

After  the  two  officers  had  returned  to  Plymouth,  the 
armament  was  at  length  put  to  sea  again,  but  was  again 
separated  when  within  sight  of  Spain ;  and  the  cross-yard 
of  Ralegh's  ship  being  broken,  he  was  left  behind  the  rest. 
In  this  situation,  he  in  vain  endeavored  to  assist  the  de- 
signs of  Essex,  by  sending  a  pinnace  after  him  with  the 
information  that  the  Spanish  fleet  had  left  Ferrol  for  the 
Azores.  Meanwhile  Essex  and  his  companions  had  re- 
solved to  sail  directly  for  the  Azores,  having  seen  the  im- 
practicability of  attempting  to  fire  the  Spaniards  in  their 
own  harbor. f     Ralegh  had  endeavored  to  take  the  same 

*  Camden.  t  Camden,  p.  473. 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  79 

course,  but,  having  lost  his  track,  he  rejoined  not  the  fleet 
until  it  had  reached  the  island  of  Flores,  where  he  found 
Essex  filled  with  rage  and  suspicion  against  him.  Essex, 
however,  received  him  with  apparent  kindness,  and  apolo- 
gized that  he  had  previously  sent  dispatches  to  England, 
branding  Ralegh  as  a  deserter  of  the  fleet ;  a  course  to 
which  the  natural  impetuosity  of  Essex,  and  the  officious 
suggestions  of  the  base  spirits  that  often  throng  around  the 
rash  and  thoughtless,  had  impelled  him. 

Whilst  the  fleet  lay  at  anchor  before  Flores,  a  council 
of  war  was  held  to  discuss  the  expediency  of  conquering 
and  laying  waste,  or  of  garrisoning  these  islands,  which 
afforded  places  of  refreshment  to  the  Spanish  ships  trading 
to  the  Indies.  It  was  decided  that  Terceira  should  not  be 
attempted  until  after  the  smaller  islands  had  been  subdued. 
To  Essex  and  to  Ralegh  were  assigned  the  capture  of 
Fayall;  to  the  Lord  Thomas  Howard  and  Sir  Francis 
Vere,  that  of  Gratiosa ;  to  Lord  Mountjoy  and  Sir  Christo- 
pher Blount,  St.  Michael's ;  and  Pitie,  most  fruitful  in 
vines,  was  assigned  to  the  Netherland  squadron. 

Before  quitting  Flores,  Ralegh,  with  several  companions, 
ventured  to  ramble  into  the  island,  enjoying  probably  the 
freshness  and  delicious  change  which  that  beautiful  island, 
deriving  its  name  from  its  flowers,  afforded  to  the  mind, 
after  a  long  voyage  on  the  inclement  ocean.  Whilst  thus 
indulging,  and  availing  himself  of  the  opportunity  of  allow- 
ing his  mariners  to  get  supplies  of  water,  Ralegh  was 
hastily  summoned  to  follow  Essex  to  Fayall,  whither  that 
commander,  impatient  of  delay,  had  sailed  before  this  ap- 
prizal. 

On  their  arrival  at  Fayall,  they  cast  anchor  near  the 
principal  town,  Hocta,  but  nowhere  descried  Essex,  or  any 
part  of  his  squadron.  Delighted  with  the  aspect  and  im- 
portance of  the  town,  Ralegh  called  together  a  council  of 
the  officers,  to  determine  whether  they  should  attack  it,  or 
wait  until  the  arrival  of  their  chief.  It  was  determined  to 
delay  proceedings  for  a  few  days,  a  plan  which  was  pur- 
sued until  the  fourth  day,  when,  Essex  not  appearing, 
Ralegh  resolved  to  take  in  water,  guarding  his  ships  for 
that  purpose,  though  without  any  expectation  of  annoyance 
from  the  enemy's  forts.  In  this  idea  he  was,  howe\er, 
mistaken ;  and,  meeting  with  undoubted  signs  of  resistance 
from  the  Spanish  garrison,  the  high  spirit  of  Ralegh,  and 


80  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

the  eagerness  of  his  sailors,  would  not  permit  him  to  recede 
in  his  undertaking.  With  two  hundred  and  sixty  men, 
therefore,  he  resolved  to  attack  a  force  double  that  number ; 
and,  placing  his  ordnance  as  near  the  shore  as  possible,  he 
rowed  into  a  species  of  harbor  which  was  guarded  by  high 
rocks.  In  the  course  of  this  exploit,  the  courage  of  Ra- 
legh's crew  failing  under  a  heavy  fire,  he  reproached  them 
in  vehement  language,  ordering  his  own  barge  to  be 
rowed  down  full  upon  the  rocks,  and  bidding  those 
who  were  not  panic-struck  to  follow  him.  Upon  this 
there  was  an  instant  revival  of  hope  and  of  valor ;  and 
Ralegh,  landing  among  fire  and  shot,  was  followed  by 
many  officers  of  distinction  to  the  narrow  entrance,  having, 
as  it  seemed,  about  him  a  spell  which  secured  him  from 
danger  and  intimidated  the  enemy.  The  Spaniards,  see- 
ing his  force  thicken,  retreated  to  the  woods  ;  and  Ralegh, 
recruited  from  the  Netherland  squadron,  was  soon  able  to 
prepare  the  town  to  receive  Essex  on  his  arrival.*  On  the 
following  day  that  commander,  who  had  been  tracking  the 
ocean  in  search  of  the  Spanish  fleet,  came  to  Fayall.  Sir 
Gilly  Merrick,  one  of  his  creatures,  who  had  opposed  the 
storming  of  the  town,  represented  to  him  that  Ralegh  had 
merely  seized  an  opportunity  of  signalizing  himself  with- 
out the  co-operation  of  his  colleague.  This  account  was 
eagerly  received  and  believed  by  Essex,  who  had  long 
suspected  ill-will  on  the  part  of  Ralegh  towards  himself; 
yet  he  disdained  to  take  an  ungenerous  advantage  of  his 
authority  to  oppress  one  so  much  his  superior  in  age  and 
experience.  He  rejected,  therefore,  the  counsels  of  some 
of  his  officers  to  put  Ralegh  to  death,  and  of  others  to 
cashier  him ;  although  the  latter  punishment  was  inflicted 
on  some  of  his  companions.  Ralegh  was,  however,  sum- 
moned to  appear  before  the  commander-in-chief,  and  se- 
verely reprimanded  by  him  for  having  broken  the  disci- 
pline of  war,  and  landed  his  troops  without  being  authorized 
by  the  command  of  the  general.  This  act  of  insubordina- 
tion had,  he  observed,  been  forbidden  under  pain  of  death. 
To  this  address  Ralegh  replied  by  affirming,  that  the  three 
principal  commanders,  of  whom  he  was  one,  were  exempt- 
ed from  this  prohibition,  which  he  had  only  been  induced 
to  infringe  from  the  necessity  of  taking  in  water.     He 

*  Oldys,  p.  117. 


LIFE  OP  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  81 

was  then  exhorted  by  Lord  Thomas  Howard  to  acknow- 
ledge his  error,  an  injunction  with  which  he  complied; 
and* after  which,  he,  and  the  captains  who  had  been  cash- 
iered, were  received  into  favor. 

Essex  appeared  to  be  so  far  reconciled  to  Ralegh,  that 
he  consented  to  rest  in  the  temporary  residence  in  which 
Ralegh  had  taken  up  his  abode  in  the  town.  Ralegh  also 
invited  him  to  supper ;  a  request  with  which  Essex,  who 
is  said  to  have  preferred  the  society  and  conversation  of 
his  rival  to  that  of  many  others  whom  he  appeared  to  favor, 
seemed  evidently  disposed  to  comply. 

Upon  being  apprized  of  this  arrangement,  Sir  Christopher 
Blount  remarked,  that  "  he  thought  my  lord  would  not  sup 
at  all ;"  an  observation  which  called  forth  from  Ralegh  the 
remark,  that  "as  for  Sir  Christopher's  own  appetite,  he 
might,  when  he  was  invited,  disable  it  at  pleasure ;  but  if 
the  Earl  would  stay,  he  should  be  glad  of  his  company."* 
By  the  mediation  of  Lord  Thomas  Howard,  who,  in  the 
most  becoming  manner,  acted  as  umpire  between  them, 
the  generous  Essex  and  his  comrade  were,  however, 
effectually  reconciled  for  the  present  time,  notwithstanding 
the  endeavors  of  base  spirits  to  sever  them. 

From  Fayall,  Essex  and  his  squadron  sailed  for  Gratiosa, 
which  submitted  itself  to  the  English  arms.  On  landing 
at  this  island,  the  generous  yet  imprudent  temper  of  Essex 
displayed  itself,  in  his  declining  to  face  the  enemy's  forts 
with  a  greater  proportion  of  arms  and  armor  than  the 
poor  sailors  who  rowed  his  barge  to  shore  ;f  and  here  he 
again  experienced  that  ill  fortune  which  his  warm  admirer 
Camden  attributed  to  the  evil  influence  of  his  horoscope, 
but  which  may  here  be  ascribed  to  a  deficiency  in  caution, 
and  a  too  great  facility  in  following  the  advice  of  others. 
For  some  reasons,  of  little  moment,  he  tarried  not  long 
enough  at  Gratiosa  to  look  out  for  the  Spanish  fleet,  gen- 
erally returning  at  this  season  from  the  Indies.  He  sailed 
to  St.  Michael's,  and  had  the  mortification  of  learning, 
that  about  an  hour  or  two  afterwards  those  very  ships  had 
touched  at  Gratiosa.J 

After  many  vain  attempts  to  return  to  Gratiosa,  and  to 
attack  the  enemy,  the  fleet  set  sail  for  England,  meeting 
on  their  passage  with  heavy  storms,  which  in  the  mean- 


*  Oldys,  122  t  "bid  J  Camden,  p.  47 


S2  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

time  annihilated  a  Spanish  armament,  which  was  in  prepa- 
ration to  sail  against  England  from  the  Ferrol ;  Heaven 
thus  seeming  to  interpose  its  aid  where  the  strength  of 
man  was  ineffectual  to  destroy.  By  the  total  loss  of  the 
Spanish  fleet,  a  great  slaughter  between  the  two  nations 
was  thus  prevented ;  and  the  English  warriors,  after  some 
distress,  came  safely  to  their  native  shores.  Ralegh  was 
in  great  necessity  for  water,  and,  whilst  suffering  from 
that  greatest  of  all  deficiencies,  beheld  the  Earl  of  Essex 
at  a  distance,  deprived  in  a  recent  storm  of  every  compan- 
ion vessel,  except  two  little  barks.  This  vicissitude  to  him 
who  had  but  lately  left  England,  followed  by  a  numerous 
fleet,  appeared  to  an  eye-witness*  almost  typical  of  the 
varying  destiny  by  which  the  eventful  tenor  of  the  Earl's 
life  was,  in  no  ordinary  degree,  chequered.  On  his  return 
to  the  court,  the  impatient  indignation  of  the  Queen,  and 
the  murmurs  of  the  people,  awaited  him ;  and  Sir  Francis 
Vere,  formerly  his  warm  partisan,  and  still  attached  to 
him,  could  with  some  difficulty  assuage  the  anger  of  Eliza- 
beth, balancing  her  interests  as  a  sovereign  with  her  pri- 
vate inclinations.! 

The  island  voyage,  comprising  a  scheme  so  admirably 
concerted,  that  it  might  have  almost  wholly  annihilated 
the  Spanish  navy,  was  totally  unsuccessful,  as  far  as  the 
public  interests  were  concerned ;  some  prizes  were  obtain- 
ed by  Ralegh,  and  much  plunder  by  Essex \ ;  yet  the  result 
of  this  expedition  was  injurious  to  the  reputation  of  each 
of  these  gallant  commanders.  The  people  were  unanimous 
in  their  censures  of  Ralegh,  whose  usual  unpopularity  was 
increased  by  the  circumstances  of  his  variance  with  Essex, 
although  his  exploits  were  generally  more  commended 
than  those  of  the  Earl.  Essex,  on  the  other  hand,  the  idol 
of  the  lower  classes,  was  blamed  by  intelligent  persons  for 
his  violence  and  rashness,  and  was  thought  to  have  acted 
with  injustice  towards  Ralegh,  in  exposing  so  experienced 
%nd  approved  a  navigator  to  public  inquiry  into  his  con- 
duct. §  Confidence  between  these  two  individuals  had  long 
been  suspended  by  a  very  slender  thread  of  regard :  it  had 
been  shaken  in  the  Cadiz  expedition,  in  which  Ralegh  felt 

*  Sir  Arthur  Gorges.    Oldys,  125. 

f  Note  from  Vere's  Commentaries  in  Biog.  {  Camden,  p.  475. 

§  Sydney  Tapers,  vol.  ii.  p.  68.  74. 


LIFE  OP  SIR  WALT  ER  RALEGH.  83 

that  he  had  been  unduly  kept  back  from  services  of  dis- 
tinction ;  and  the  events  of  the  recent  enterprise  had  con- 
firmed these  impressions.  This  state  of  feeling  between 
the  two  parties  was  discreditable  to  both,  and  to  Essex  fa- 
tally injurious.  On  his  part,  this  rivalship  was  maintained 
with  a  spirit  of  honor,  which  was  nobly  displayed  in  the 
affair  of  Flores,  when  asked  to  put  Ralegh  upon  his  trial : 
"  That,"  he  replied,  "  would  I  do,  were  he  my  friend." 
But  Ralegh  possessed  not  a  disposition  so  generous  as  that 
of  his  unfortunate  enemy;  and  aided  by  others  more  subtle 
than  himself,  if  he  did  not  accelerate  the  ruin  of  the  im- 
prudent Essex,  he  lent  no  benevolent  aid  to  arrest  the  pro- 
gress of  his  destruction.  Whilst  distrust  on  the  one  hand, 
and  dislike  on  the  other,  rankled  in  the  minds  of  both  par- 
ties, a  close  observer  of  each  individual  gave  this  account 
of  the  deportment  of  Sir  Walter  towards  the  Earl : — "  Sir 
Walter  Ralegh's  carriage  to  my  Lord  of  Essex,  is  with 
the  cunningest  respect,  and  deepest  humility,  that  ever  I* 
saw  or  have  trowed."* 

But  no  machinations  on  the  part  of  Ralegh,  could  have 
ruined  Essex  had  he  retained  the  friendship  of  the  Lord 
Treasurer  Burleigh,  the  guardian  and  adviser  of  his  youth. 
This  veteran  statesman,  who  is  said  to  have  controlled  the 
court  at  pleasure  for  thirty  years,  was  now  in  the  decline 
of  life,  but  in  the  full  vigor  of  his  faculties,  and  in  the  height 
of  his  influence.  Designated  by  Queen  Elizabeth  with 
the  name  of  "  her  spirit,"  from  the  celerity  with  which  he 
dispatched  public  business,  Burleigh  was  unable  to  allot 
any  portion  of  his  time  to  his  own  private  recreations; 
serving  a  mistress,  who  was  scarcely  induced  by  any  apol- 
ogy less  than  a  last  illness  to  give  up  the  closest  attendance 
on  the  part  of  her  ministers,  and  executing  her  commands 
with  a  degree  of  zeal  and  regularity  proportionate  to  the 
demands  made  upon  those  requisite  qualities.  Yet,  whilst 
permitting  himself  only  one  indulgence,  that  of  building 
2freat  houses,  which  he  called  "  his  vanity,"  the  lord 
treasurer  had '  found  leisure  carefully  to  superintend  the 
education  of  Essex,  and  even  to  write  him  counsels  con- 
cerning the  nature  of  true  nobility,  to  which  there  is  a 
Latin  reply  extant,  from  the  Earl,  showing  how  well  he 

*  Cayley,  p.  283.,  from  Birch's  Memoirs  of  Queen  Elizabeth,  vol.  ii. 
p.  10. 


34  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

had  profited  by  the  care  of  his  guardian.*  Notwithstanding 
these  early  obligations,  dissensions  and  jealousies  had 
arisen  between  both  the  Cecils  and  Lord  Essex,  Ralegh 
acting  a  conspicuous  part  in  the  management  of  that  ma- 
chinery of  which  these  court  cabals  were  composed. 

It  had  been  the  lot  of  Burleigh,  to  live  to  see  his  chil- 
dren's children  to  the  third  generation.!  It  was  his  still 
happier  fate  to  behold  those  children  not  only  walking  in 
the  shadow  of  his  greatness,  but  pursuing  the  same  course 
which  had  raised  him  to  eminence.  Of  his  two  sons,  the 
elder  succeeded  him  in  his  title  and  estates ;  the  younger, 
bred  up  to  business,  inherited  his  application,  his  integrity, 
and,  in  some  measure,  his  talents,  but  he  displayed  not  that 
scope  of  mind  which  had  enabled  the  elder  Burleigh  to 
comprehend  the  true  interests  of  his  nation,  to  extend  the 
views  of  Elizabeth,  and  to  direct  them  to  useful  and  glo- 
rious ends. 

Robert  Cecil,  afterwards  the  first  Peer  created  by  Eliza- 
beth's successor,  was,  at  this  period  of  Ralegh's  life,  his 
close  ally ;  and,  with  some  variations,  the  opponent,  and 
as  Essex  conceived,  the  rival  of  that  impetuous  Earl.  The 
original  cause  of  this  aversion  on  the  part  of  Essex,  was 
his  disgust  at  what  he  considered  to  be  the  low  and  dis- 
honorable machinations  of  Cecil,  who  has  been  aptly  de- 
scribed as  a  courtier  from  the  cradle.  The  immediate 
source  of  their  mutual  ill-will  was  the  appointment  of  Sir 
Robert  Cecil  to  the  office  of  secretary  of  state,  during  the 
absence  of  Essex  at  Cadiz.  Previous  to  his  departure,  the 
earl  had  entreated  the  queen  to  bestow  that  place  upon 
Sir  Thomas  Bodley,  recently  ambassador  at  the  Hague, 
and  the  munificent  founder  of"  that  library  which  bears  his 
name  at  Oxford ;  a  fabric  which  drew  from  the  pedantic 
James  the  First  the  exclamation,  that,  "  were  he  not  a 
king,  he  would  be  a  University  man ;  were  he  a  prisoner, 
he  would  wish  no  other  prison  than  that  library,  and  to  be 
chained  together  with  so  many  good  authors."  But  Bodley, 
although  an  eminent  man,  and  one  of  a  family  who  had 
suffered  greatly  for  the  Protestant  cause,  was  judged  by 
the  queen  to  be  less  adapted  for  the  management  of  affairs 
than  Cecil,  who  had  imbibed  notions  of  state  policy  in  his 

*  Ellis's  Original  Letters,  vol.  ii.  p.  77.  and  181. 
f  Ellis,  2d  series,  vol.  iii.  p.  190. 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 


85 


very  infancy.  Elizabeth  was,  also,  disgusted  by  the  ex- 
travagant invectives  of  Essex  against  Cecil,  and  by  his  ill- 
timed  and  ill-judging  panegyric  of  his  friend.  The  place 
was,  accordingly,  bestowed  upon  Cecil.* 

During  the  interval  which  elapsed  between  the  expedi- 
tion to  Cadiz  and  the  island  voyage,  Ralegh,  from  what 
motive  does  not  appear,  endeavored  to  tranquillize  the  lre- 
quent  dissensions  which  arose  between  the  belligerent  fac- 
tions ;  and,  on  one  occasion,  prevailed  so  far  as  to  bring 
them  together  at  the  house  of  the  secretary,  where  they 
all  three  dined,  f     For  the  diligence  with  which  Ralegh 
pursued  this  endeavor  at  reconciliation,  various   reasons 
were  assigned  by  the  watchful  observers  about  the  court, 
who  appear,  from  the  documents  extant,  to  have  made  the 
office  of  investigating  into  the  concerns  of  others  the  busi- 
ness of  their  lives.     By  some  it  was  thought,  that  Ralegh 
wished  to  avail  himself  of  the  joint  interest  of  Cecil  and 
Essex,  in  order  to  obtain  the  post  of  vice-chamberlam,  for 
which  he  applied;    and   this  conjecture  seems   probable, 
from  the  circumstance  that  he  proffered  to  Essex  a  third 
part  of  the  profits  derived  from  prizes  in  the  island  voyage, 
to  assist  in  the  payment  of  the  earl's  debts,  for  the  import- 
ant consideration  of  his  influence.     Whatever  may  have 
been  the  immediate  spring  of  his  actions,  these  debasing 
intrigues  had  their  effect  in  sullying  the  purity  of  Ralegh's 
integrity,  and  in  subjecting  his  fine  genius  to  the  profana- 
tion of  selfishness  and  duplicity.     It  is  a  matter  of  specu- 
lation, whether  continued  manoeuvres,  and  the  habit  of 
deception,  are  not  calculated  to  debase  and  weaken  the 
mind  more  than  the  commission  of  one  actual  crime ;  for 
we  are  reluctant  to  allow  the  necessity  of  repentance  for  a 
series  of  daily,  and  apparently  trifling  faults,  and  are,  there- 
fore, led  on  to  a  dangerous  repetition.  Meanwhile,  Ralegh 
was  assiduous  in  courting  the  friendship  of  the  Lord  Treas- 
urer Burleigh,  not  merely  from  regard  for  the  virtues,  or 
respect  for  the  talents,  of  that  great  man,  but  from  the 
pitiful  desire  that  something  might  be  effected  in  his  favor 
before  Sir  Robert  Cecil  went  to  France,  as  an  ambassador 
to  Henry  the  Fourth.  It  was,  indeed,  at  the  time  reported, 
that  both  Ralegh  and  the  younger  Cecil  ardently  desired 

*  Camden,  1596. 

t  Rowland  White's  Letters  in  Sydney  Papers,  vol.  ii.  p.  37—44. 

H 


£6  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

to  be  made  Barons,  and  had,  says  Rowland  White,  "a 
purpose  to  be  called  unto  it,  although  there  be  no  parlia- 
ment."* Accordingly,  with  the  dreams  of  greatness  in  his 
head,  Ralegh  attended  the  great  man  to  Dover,  entertained 
him  with  a  banquet  and  a  play,  and  devoted  to  him  those 
attentions  which  ambition  offers  as  a  tribute  to  success. 
The  result  of  all  these  manoeuvres  was  of  a  mingled  na- 
ture. The  office  of  vice-chamberlain  had  been  promised 
to  Sir  Robert  Sidney,  and  was  probably  never  thought  of 
for  Ralegh ;  Queen  Elizabeth  not  liking  men  who  were 
fit  for  military  exploits,  to  be,  in  her  own  language,  "  too 
much  addicted  to  the  presence-chamber,  "f  For  this  dis- 
appointment, Ralegh  obtained,  through  the  interest  of 
Cecil,  and  the  concession  of  Essex,  the  honor  of  becoming 
a  privy-councillor.! 

Whilst  we  deprecate  servility  and  intrigue,  it  must  be 
remembered,  that  there  were  some  parts  of  Ralegh's  con- 
duct, as  a  courtier,  more  creditable  to  his  character  than 
the  furtherance  of  his  own  selfish  designs.  With  his  usual 
wisdom,  he  saw  that  the  frequent  broils  between  the  cour- 
tiers impeded  the  due  performance  of  public  business ;  oc- 
casioned, to  use  his  own  words,  "continual  unquietness" 
in  the  mind  of  the  Queen ;  and  tended  to  give  an  advan- 
tage to  the  enemies  of  the  sovereign.  Impressed  by  these 
considerations,  Ralegh  sought,  and  procured,  a  reconcilia- 
tion between  Essex  and  Lord  Howard,  recently  created 
Earl  of  Nottingham,  upon  the  score  of  his  services  in  the 
Spanish  invasion,  and  at  Cadiz.  Essex  had  resented  the 
elevation  of  Lord  Howard  to  the  title  of  earl,  which,  added 
to  his  office  of  lord  chamberlain,  gave  him  precedency. 
But  Elizabeth  soothed  the  vanity  of  her  favorite,  by  bestow- 
ing upon  him  the  dignity  of  lord  marshal,  which,  by  a 
statute  of  the  reign  of  Henry  the  Eighth,  enabled  all  of  the 
rank  of  earl  who  had  that  dignity  to  take  precedency  be- 
fore their  peers  of  the  same  degree.^ 
•j  cq~  Ralegh  was  now  again  actively  engaged  in  the 
'  military  services  of  his  country.  Reports  which  pre- 
vailed respecting  the  approach  of  a  Spanish  fleet  again  drew 
him  into  Cornwall,  to  assist  in  the  preparations  of  defence 

*  Sydney  Papers,  vol.  ii.  120. 

f  Ibid,  p.  21.— An  observation  which  she  afterwards  applied  to  this  very 
Sir  Robert  Sidney. 
J  Camden,  p.  476.  §  Camden. 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  87 

in  that  county.— Shortly  afterwards  he  was  ordered  hy  the 
privy-council  to  give  his  opinion  of  the  affairs  of  Ireland, 
und  some  rumors  prevailed  of  his  being  appointed  lord 
deputy  in  that  country;  but,  to  the  acceptance  of  thia 
office,  Ralegh,  who  had  early  witnessed  its  dangers  and 
anxieties,  expressed  a  decided  reluctance. 

Ireland  afforded  at  this  time  almost  the  only  chance  of 
mingling  in  those  warlike  occupations,  in  which  English- 
men were  indulged  by  their  monarchs  of  the  Tudor  line. 
Already  had  negotiations  for  a  peace  with  Spain  been 
laid  before  Henry  the  Fourth  of  France,  and  proposed,  by 
that  monarch,  to  Elizabeth.  The  lord  treasurer,  almost 
expiring  with  age  and  infirmities,  seconded  the  proposition, 
upon  reasons  connected  with  his  intimate  knowledge  of 
the  resources  of  England ;  his  observation  of  the  temper  of 
the  people,  prone  to  sedition  when  heavily  burdened ;  and 
his  fears  of  the  uncertainties  of  war.*  Of  the  sentiments 
entertained  by  Ralegh  on  this  discussion  we  have  no  me- 
morial ;  but  it  is  probable  that  he  coincided  with  Burleigh. 
The  popular  faction,  headed  by  Essex,  and  emboldened  by 
the  manifest  inclinations  of  the  Queen,  lifted  up  then- 
voices  for  a  continuance  of  the  struggle  which  had,  al- 
ready, proved  so  triumphant.  Essex,  who,  like  most  of  the 
highly-born  men  of  the  day,  deemed  no  pursuit  in  life  glo- 
rious "but  that  of  war,  breathed,  as  Burleigh  expresses  it, 
nothing  but  "  war,  slaughter,  and  blood."  After  a  vehe- 
ment dispute  upon  the  subject,  that  veteran  statesman, 
become  almost  prophetic  from  experience,  gave  his  senti- 
ments to  Essex  in  a  manner  which  might  have  silenced  a 
less  impetuous  reasoner.  "I  know  not,"  says  Camden, 
speaking  of  this  argument  between  Cecil  and  Essex, 
with  wnat  presaging  mind  he  (Lord  Burleigh)  reached 
forth  a  psalm-book,  and  silently  pointed  to  this  verse: 
'  Men  of  blood  shall  not  live  out  half  their  days.'  "  Per- 
haps that  veteran  observer  of  life  and  manners  saw  that 
the  generous  but  impetuous  spirit  of  Essex  would  ulti- 
mately effect  his  destruction:  perhaps  he  reviewed  the 
picture,  doubtless  often,  in  the  course  of  his  long  life,  pre- 
sented to  his  observation,  of  feminine  devotedness  changing 
its  nature,  like  chemical  substances,  from  sweet  to  bitter, 
from  the  admixture  of  the  pungent  ingredients  of  suspicion 

*  Camden,  p.  492. 


88  LUE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

and  jealousy.  But  Essex  was  destined  soon  to  lose  tliia 
stern  monitor  yet  faithful  friend ;  Lord  Eurleigh  dying  this 
year,  worn  out  with  the  gout,  and  still  more  with  the  la- 
bors and  anxieties  of  a  public  career,  and,  as  his  son  the 
Earl  of  Salisbury,  likewise,  afterwards  in  his  own  case  ex- 
pressed himself,  longing  for  death.  Whilst  Burleigh  lived, 
the  life  of  Essex  would  have  been  secure  from  the  scaffold, 
even  if  his  indiscretion  had  ruined  his  prospects  as  a  cour- 
tier. Queen  Elizabeth,  disturbed  by  the  frequent  conten- 
tions of  her  courtiers,  and  still  more  by  the  alternate  inso- 
lence and  submission  of  Essex,  may  perhaps  almost  have 
envied  the  tranquil  end  of  her  dying  minister,  whom  she 
frequently  visited  after  his  retirement  from  office.  Having 
arranged  every  temporal  concern  which  might  draw  him 
back  to  life,  Burleigh  eagerly  courted  the  approach  of  his 
dissolution  ;  and,  "  perceiving,"  as  an  eye-witness  expresses 
it,  "  that  his  vital  spirits  wrestled  with  the  power  of  death,"' 
cried  out  in  an  agony,  '  Oh,  what  a  heart  have  I  that  I  will 
not  die  !'  and  when  his  breath  was  almost  spent,  and,  by 
infusion  of  hot  waters  into  his  mouth  he  had  recovered 
sense  again,  he  gently  reproved  those  that  were  about  him, 
saying  they  did  him  wrong  to  call  him  back."  Thus,  with 
the  last  faltering  motions  of  his  lips  employed  in  prayers  and 
exhortations,  died  this  truly  great  man,*  whose  bitterest 
adversary,  as  Camden  affirms,  "  said  that  he  envied  him  in 
nothing  so  much  as  for  such  a  death  in  so  great  glorie." 
With  Burleigh,  the  small  portion  of  prudence  which  Essex 
possessed  died  also ;  and  as  for  Elizabeth,  her  support  in 
difficulties,  and  her  counsellor  in  peace,  was  gone.  To 
the  friends  of  Essex  his  death  seemed,  in  regard  to  th* 
earl,  as  the  harbinger  of  that  ruin  which  follows  in  the 
train  of  thoughtless  and  confident  security.  Such  was  the 
dread  which  he  entertained  respecting  his  contest  with 
Ralegh,  that  Puckering,  the  lord-keeper,  prevailed  upon 
him  to  give  his  promise,  that  no  further  rivalship  should  be 
displayed  between  them :  yet  this  timely  caution  availed 
but  little.  One  of  the  last  festivities  of  Elizabeth's  reign 
which  she  may  be  said  to  have  enjoyed,  gave  rise,  how- 
ever, to  fresh  contentions.  On  the  celebration  of  the 
Queen's  birth-day,  Ralegh  appeared  in  the  tilt-yard  at 
Westminster,  with  a  degree  of  splendor  which  roused  the 

*  Ellis,  iii.  note,  p.  189. 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  8S 

jealousy  of  Essex,  and  stimulated  him,  as  it  is  said,  to  aim 
at  the  deadly  injury  of  the  knight  in  the  usual  combats- 
Ralegh  possessed  a  suit  of  armor  so  costly  as  to  excite  the 
envy  of  all  those  who  wearied  themselves  in  a  vain  show, 
or  were  the  slaves  of  that  "  vexation  of  spirit"  which  has 
wittily  been  described  as  the  successor  of  vanity.  In  this 
gorgeous  encasement  Ralegh  so  much  delighted,  that  his 
portrait  was  painted  while  wearing  it ;  and  he  is  supposed 
to  have  figured  in  it  on  this  occasion,  for,  in  the  portrait, 
his  arm  was  decorated  with  a  riband  which  tradition  as- 
serts he  received  from  the  Queen  as  a  reward  in  this  very 
tilt-yard,  and  which  he  carried  to  her  majesty  one  morn- 
ing, to  show  that  he  had  ridden  a  hundred  and  twenty 
miles  the  night  before,  in  order  to  return  to  her  presence.* 
The  shoes  of  this  accomplished  courtier  were  valued  at  six 
thousand  pieces  of  gold  ;  his  sword  and  belt  were  adorned 
with  jewels ;  and  about  his  person  he  wore  jewels  to  the 
value  of  three-score  thousand  pounds,  one  diamond  alone 
being  worth  a  hundred  pounds.f  Yet  Ralegh,  now  in  the 
forty-seventh  year  of  his  age,  and  disfigured,  according  to 
his  own  account,  with  a  "lame  leg,  and  deformed,"  could 
not,  in  all  this  splendor  of  appearance,  cope  with  the  gay 
and  gallant  bearing  of  Essex,  whose  very  foibles  were  of  a 
description  to  sort  with  the  turbulence  and  mimic  wars  of 
a  tournament.  That  which  in  Ralegh  was  design,  appeared 
in  Essex  the  overflow  of  an  ardent  and  valiant  heart,  sac- 
rificing, at  the  shrine  of  the  Queen's  vanity,  the  tribute 
which  the  young  and  beautiful  might  envy.  Nothing, 
however,  could  be  more  childish  than  the  mode  in  which 
their  rivalry  was  carried  on,  as  the  well-known  story  of  the 
tawny  feathers  sufficiently  exemplifies.  Whilst  Essex  was 
in  disgrace  with  the  Queen,  after  the  celebrated  inter- 
view in  which  he,  with  more  natural  feeling  than  gallantry, 
resented  the  royal  blow  on  the  ear,  so  renowned  in  all  the 
annals  of  those  times,  he  learned  that  Ralegh  intended  to 
appear  on  the  following  day  in  the  tilt-yard  with  a  gallant 
train,  all  splendidly  accoutred  in  orange-colored  feathers. 
Upon  gaining  this  intelligence,  Essex  mustered  a  far  more 
numerous  company,  all  of  whom  he  adorned  with  feathers 
similar  to  those  worn  by  the  Ralegh  party  ;  and  so  lavish 
was  he  of  these  ensigns,  that  he  caused  two  thousand  of 

*  Oldys,  p.  145.  |  Ibid. 

H2 


90  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

them  to  be  worn  in  the  tilt-yard.*  He  then  appeared  as 
the  leader  of  this  radiant  band,  himself  in  a  complete  suit 
of  orange  color,  and  thus,  being  mistaken  as  the  chief  of 
the  whole  of  those  in  orange,  confounded  all  distinction 
between  himself  and  Ralegh.  This  "feather  triumph," 
as  Lord  Clarendon  calls  it,  affords  a  specimen  of  the  taste 
in  which  civil  contentions  were  carried  on  during  the 
strange  alternations  of  frivolity  and  wisdom  by  which 
Elizabeth's  reign  was  characterized.  Yet  the  victory  of 
Essex  in  this  petty  contest  was  incomplete ;  and  on  the 
following  day  a  knight  being  observed  in  green  in  lieu  of 
him  who  had  figured  in  orange,  it  was  remarked,  that  "  he 
had  changed  his  color,  because  he  had  run  so  ill."  This 
disguised  and  disgraced  knight  is  conjectured  to  have  been 
Essex.f 

,  rqa  The  disturbances  in  Ireland  recalled  the  attention 
of  the  military  portion  of  Elizabeth's  court  to  affairs 
of  serious  moment,  and  consultations  began  to  be  held  as 
to  the  person  most  adapted  to  quell  the  furious  rebellions  by 
which  that  unhappy  country  was  agitated.  Of  Elizabeth 
it  has  been  said,  and  the  common  popular  feeling  of  the 
time  confirmed  the  observation,  "  that  her  dispensations 
were  so  poised  as  though  justice  and  discretion  had  both 
stood  at  the  beam,  and  seen  them  weighed  together  in  due 
proportion  ;J"  yet  her  choice  on  this  occasion  implied  a 
total  absence  of  those  principles  of  action.  That  Ralegh 
was  the  most  effective  man  of  the  court,  in  operations  of 
difficulty  or  in  deeds  of  danger,  appears  to  have  been  the 
prevailing  opinion ;  each  power  of  his  mind  having  been 
tried  by  the  severe  test  of  experience,  and  improved  by 
the  habit  of  constant  exertion  ;  a  habit  by  the  aid  of  which 
ordinary  abilities  often  resemble  in  their  effects  the  most 
remarkable  indications  of  genius:  but  Ralegh's  distaste 
for  the  arduous  office  of  lord  deputy,  accounts  in  some 
measure  for  his  not  being  appointed  to  that  important 
f.rust. 

The  next  person  upon  whom  the  public  eye  rested  was 
Charles  Blount,  J  who  had  succeeded,  in  1594,  to  his  bro- 

*  Clarendon's  Disparity  between  Essex  and  Bucks.  Reliquaj  Wot- 
toniffi,  p.  180. 

t  Oldys,  132.  f  Naunton's  Fragmenta  Regalia. 

§  Blount,  a  name  originally  Norman,  deriving  it  from  Le  Blound,  or 
modern  Le  Blond  ;  this  family  being  remarked  for  their  yellow**hair.  Brit 
Biog.  from  Camden 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  91 

ther's  title  of  Lord  Mountjoy,  and  of  whom  the  queen 
prophesied,  that  "  he  would  end  her  troubles  in  Ireland ;" 
a  national  benefit  which  he  partly  accomplished  in  her 
reign,  and  effectually  in  that  of  her  successor.  Descended 
from  an  ancient  race,  and  allied  to  three  families  of  peers, 
Lord  Mountjoy  had  been  distinguished  from  his  earliest  in- 
troduction by  the  peculiar  favor  of  the  queen.  At  first  his 
youthful  and  handsome  appearance  engaged  the  attention 
of  Elizabeth,  who  said,  "  she  knew  there  was  some  noble 
blood  in  him."  The  bashfulness  with  which  he,  a  youth 
of  twenty,  sustained  the  unfeminine  rudeness  with  which 
she  fixed  her  dauntless  gaze  upon  him,  was  found  to  con- 
ceal the  attributes  both  of  wit  and  courage,  and  the  acqui- 
sition of  scholastic  learning.*  Hence  he  had  been  employ- 
ed in  most  of  the  military  enterprises  of  his  time,  varying 
occasionally  the  distinctions  of  warlike  prowess  with  those 
accorded  in  the  academic  retirements  of  Oxford,  being 
created  a  master  of  arts  in  that  university  almost  whilst 
actively  engaged  in  pursuit  of  the  Annada.f  Thus  en- 
dowed, and  possessed  of  the  entire  confidence  of  the  queen, 
the  expectations  of  the  political  part  of  the  nation  were 
in  favor  of  Mountjoy's  nomination  to  the  government  of 
Ireland.  Unhappily  for  Essex,  his  own  presumption,  and 
the  intrigues  of  his  enemies,  who  desired  his  absence 
from  the  court,  intimidated  Mountjoy  from  advancing  those 
pretensions  to  the  appointment  which  would  have  been 
seconded  by  the  universal  suffrage  of  public  opinion. 

Reckless  of  his  own  inability  to  conduct  the  affairs  of  the 
sister  kingdom,  the  infatuated  Essex  interposed  his  plea  to 
the  charge,  which  he  grounded  upon  the  inexperience  of 
Blount  in  warlike  affairs,  and  the  smallness  of  his  estate ; 
alleging  that  he  was  strengthened  with  few  followers,  and 
too  much  drowned  in  the  study  of  learning.  Although 
pretending,  after  the  fashion  of  the  day,  to  disqualify  him- 
self, as  it  was  called,  for  the  office,  unfortunately  for  him- 
self the  Earl  gained  the  object  of  his  wishes,  and  left  Eng- 
land, confident  of  victory  over  the  rebels.  "  I  have  beaten 
Ralegh  and  Knollys  in  the  council,"  such  was  his  boast, 
"  and  I  will  beat  Tir  Owen  in  the  field ;  for  nothing  worthy 
her  majesty's  honor  has  yet  been  achieved.":):  The  result 
•*z  these  sanguine  expectations,  and  of  the  operations  of 

*  Naunton,  xii.  p.  73,         f  Biog.  \  Nugffi  Antiqure,  vol.  i   o.  246. 


frZ  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

the  largest  army  that  Ireland  had  ever  seen ;  the  neglect 
of  instructions  which  he  had  received ;  and  the  ill-advised 
return  of  Essex,  might  have  effected  his  ruin,  independent 
of  the  evil  offices  of  his  enemies.  Ireland  was  justly  said 
to  have  been  "  the  sepulchre  of  his  father,  and  the  grave 
of  his  own  fortunes."*  Yet  Essex  with  common  prudence 
might  have  retrieved  his  condition,  possessing  as  he  did  an 
interest  in  the  affections  of  the  queen,  from  which  even  all 
his  ingratitude  and  his  follies  could  not  wean  her. 

Nevertheless,  even  before  his  return  to  England,  his 
friends  dreaded,  and  he  meditated,  the  prosecution  of  some 
audacious  scheme  which  might  involve  the  succession  to 
the  crown  in  difficulty,  and  the  Queen  herself  in  danger,  f 
Such  were  the  rumors  of  his  rash  designs,  that  the  last 
maritime  military  service  in  which  Ralegh  was  employed 
by  Elizabeth  was  thought  to  refer  to  an  apprehension  of 
his  treasonable  attempt.  In  the  month  of  August  there 
were  great  and  general  fears  of  an  invasion  from  some 
quarter  ;  troops  to  the  number  of  six  thousand  were  mus- 
tered to  guard  the  city  and  attend  the  Queen's  person ; 
chains  were  drawn  across  the  streets ;  additional  watches 
were  provided,  and  lights  hung  out  from  every  house  for 
a  fortnight. J  Sixteen  or  eighteen  vessels  were  hastily  fit- 
ted out,  Lord  Thomas  Howard,  and  Ralegh  as  vice-admiral, 
being  appointed  to  command  them.  On  the  fifth  day  of 
the  month  Ralegh  took  leave  of  the  ladies  of  the  court  and 
of  his  friends,  and  joined  the  fleet.  \  After  being  a  month 
at  sea,  he  was  permitted,  with  the  rest  of  the  armament, 
to  return  home.  The  popular  surmise  which  attributed 
this  preparation  to  a  dread  of  Essex  was,  however,  in  all 
possibility,  deceived.  It  was  the  Queen's  policy,  admira- 
ble in  times  of  so  much  danger,  to  accustom  her  people  to 
prompt  and  sudden  motions  of  defence  ;  to  alarm  her  ene- 
mies as  much  by  her  readiness  to  repel  as  by  her  deeds  in 
actual  warfare ;  fulfilling  thus  the  duties  of  a  legislator, 
whose  truest  interest  it  is  to  prevent  bloodshed  and  promote 
in  her  subjects  the  happy  feeling  of  security. 

Upon  the  unexpected  return  of  Essex  in  September,  ca- 
bals ran  high,  and  the  anxiety  and  perturbation  experienced 

*  Parallel  in  Reliquiie  Wottoniae.  f  Camden,  anno  1599. 

\  Oldys,  133.  from  Stowe's  Annals.  §  Sydney  Papers,  p.  117- 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  93 

by  those  persons  who  were  most  interested  could  omy  bo 
exceeded  by  the  chagrin  and  irresolution  of  the  Queen. 

When  Essex  was  consigned  to  custody,  popular  clamors 
were  more  virulent  than  court  factions,  and  even  the  pulpit 
lent  its  aid  to  fan  the  flames  of  dissension.  Extravagant 
praises  of  the  earl  were  uttered  by  the  preachers,  and 
libels  were  propagated  throughout  the  country,  reflecting 
on  the  privy-council  and  on  the  Queen  for  detaining  in 
durance  him  whom  they  considered  to  be  innocent.*  Of 
these  domestic  broils,  a  narrative,  perhaps  the  most  minute 
that  ever  was  penned,  is  preserved  in  the  letters  of  Rowland 
White  to  his  patron  Sir  Robert  Sydney,  recently  promoted 
to  the  honor  of  chamberlain.f  In  the  details  given  by  this 
industrious  observer  of  men  and  manners,  the  alternations 
of  hope  and  fear,  both  in  the  friends  and  enemies  of  Essex ; 
the  irresolution  of  the  Queen's  mind  ;  the  strength  of  her 
affection,  counteracted  by  her  jealous  concern  for  the  safety 
of  her  crown  and  sceptre ;  all  are  portrayed  so  as  to  pre- 
sent these  vicissitudes  of  passion  before  us  in  lively  colors. 
In  respect  to  the  libels,  this  writer  asserts  Sir  Walter  Ra- 
legh to  have  been  regarded  as  the  author.  After  observing, 
"that  between  Lord  Cobham  and  Sir  Walter  Rauley  is 
grow  en  a  deepe  unkindness,  but  that  he  cannot  yet  lea  me 
the  cause,"  he  adds,  "  Sir  Walter  Rauley  has  an  ague :  all 
the  world  suspects  him  about  the  libels."J  The  design  of 
these  publications  must,  therefore,  have  been  to  inflame 
the  mind  of  the  Queen  against  Essex,  since  the  mutual 
aversion  of  the  Earl  and  Ralegh  was  well  known  to  all 
parties  at  this  time.  "  Some  shynynge  of  pace  and  pitye 
appears  in  her  majesty  towards  Essex,  for  besides  her  yes- 
terday's favor  she  is  pleased  he  shall  have  the  liberty  of 
the  garden ;  but  Sir  Walter  Rauley^  is  fallen  sicke  upon  it, 
and  her  majesty  very  graciously  sent  to  see  him."||  The 
libels  were  inveighed  against  by  Lord  Treasurer  Buck- 
hurst  in  the  council,  and  the  wisdom  of  the  Queen's  mea- 
sures defended  by  her  ministers  severally.  This  was  fol- 
lowed by  an  harangue  on  the  part  of  the  lord  keeper  in  the 

*  Camden,  p.  571. 

t  Published  by  Arthur  Collins,  E3q.,  in  the  Sydney  Papers. 
I  Sydney  Papers,  p.  141. 

§  His  name  is  written  in  ciphers,  24  being  the  Dumber  assigned  to  nun 
in  these  documents. 
|  Sydney  Papers,  p.  139. 


94  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

star  chamber,  exposing  the  errors  of  the  Earl  of  Essex,  and 
magnifying  the  endeavors  of  tne  Queen  to  secure  the  peace 
of  Ireland.*  Whilst  Essex  remained  in  custody  in  the 
house  of  the  lord  keeper,  devoting,  as  he  wrote  to  his 
friends,  his  "  meditations  to  God,f"  Ralegh  was  sent  into 
Flanders  with  Lord  Cobham,  with  a  commission  to  treat 
with  the  United  States  concerning  the  peace  now  in  agita- 
tion between  England  and  the  Continental  powers. ;J  Their 
embassy  was  conducted  with  the  greatest  secrecy ;  yet  it 
excited  suspicions  in  the  mind  of  the  Archduke  Albert, 
Governor  of  the  Netherlands  in  right  of  his  wife,  to  whom 
that  portion  of  his  dominions  had  been  ceded  by  her  father, 
Philip  the  Second  of  Spain.  Queen  Elizabeth  having  been 
charged  by  Albert  with  supplying  the  Hollanders  with 
ammunition  and  victuals,  it  was  thought  necessary  to  em- 
power the  commissioners  for  peace  at  Boulogne  to  refute 
this  notion,  and  accordingly  an  ingenious  and  subtle  excuse 
for  the  embassy  was  supplied  by  the  able  pen  of  the  secre- 
tary Cecil,  in  case  that  the  journey  of  Lord  Cobham  and 
Ralegh  should  be  mentioned  as  a  source  of  umbrage. 
Prince  Maurice  was  at  this  time  engaged  in  the  siege  of 
Isabella,  a  fort  near  Ostend,  and  the  pretext  of  seeing 
his  camp,  and  the  arrangement  of  his  army,  was  the  plea 
upon  which  the  journey  of  the  two  English  courtiers  was 
laid  :  "  of  whom,  if  they  speak  (but  not  otherwise),"  says 
the  cautious  Cecil,  "  you  may  use  this  argument :  '  that 
they  have  no  charge,  nor  carried  either  horse  or  man  but 
some  half  a  dozen  of  their  owne ;  but  finding  the  Queen  is 
so  resolved  to  have  peace  (if  good  conditions  could  be  had), 
they  obtained  leave  with  importunitie  to  see  this  one  action 
before  they  should  become  desperate  of  seeing  any  more 
of  that  kynde  in  her  majesty's  time,'  which  God  long  con- 
tinue." §  The  postscript  of  this  letter,  which  is  dated  July 
14th,  1600,  mentions  the  return  of  Cobham  and  Ralegh, 
adding  these  words,  "  so  as  that  matter  will  be  quickly  an- 
swered." Their  mission  nevertheless  appears  to  have 
excited  some  surmise  and  alarm  among  the  commissioners 
at  Boulogne,||  and  it  was  afterwards  found  to  be  not  "alto- 
gether idle,  nor  upon  curiosity  only ;  but  that  they  carried 
some  message  which  did  no  harm."  IT 

*  Camden,  p.  571.  f  Ibid,  p.  571.  J  Oldys,  p.  134. 

§  letter  of  Cecil  to  the  Commissioners  for  the  Treaty  of  Bulloigne 
j  I  lid.  p.  130.  IT  Ibid.  p.  131. 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  95 

On  the  return  of  Ralegh  to  the  English  court,  he  tcqq 
found  his  credit  good  with  the  Queen,  and  soon  re- 
ceived a  substantial  proof  of  her  favor.*  One  great  object 
of  his  desires  was  the  situation  of  Governor  of  Jersey,  a 
post  which  had  recently  become  vacant  by  the  death  of  Sir 
Ani'-hony  Paulet.f  In  his  solicitations  for  this  office,  Ra- 
legh was  opposed  by  Sir  William  Russell,  to  whom  he 
offered  to  give  up  the  wardenship  of  the  stannaries  and 
lieutenancy  of  Cornwall,  to  induce  him  to  relinquish  his 
suit.  Ralegh  gamed  the  appointment,  however,  with  a 
grant  of  the  manor  or  lordship  of  St.  Germain  in  Jersey, 
without  these  sacrifices;  but  3001.  a  year  was  deducted 
from  the  usual  revenues,  Lord  Henry  Seymour  claiming 
that  sum  as  a  regular  grant  from  the  Queen  during  the 
life  of  the  former  governor.  A  commission  was  sent  to 
survey  the  island,  and  to  estimate  the  expense  of  building 
a  new  fort,:);  which  it  was  thought  Sir  Walter  would  con- 
sent to  erect  at  his  own  charge.  This  appointment  was  one 
of  considerable  trust  and  importance.  Ralegh,  as  it  appears 
from  his  trial,  did  not  subsequently  escape  suspicion  from 
the  nature  of  a  situation  in  which  intrigues  might  easily  be 
carried  on  with  foreign  courts^ ;  but  the  strict  confidence 
placed  in  him  by  the  discerning  Elizabeth  may  be  implied 
from  this  appointment.  Vigilance,  next  to  fidelity,  was  the 
quality  which  the  Queen  most  highly  prized  in  Ralegh, 
and  with  which  she  seldom  or  never  dispensed.  To  him 
she  could  not  in  justice  apply  her  favorite  saying,  that 
"  state  officers  were  like  garments,  which  at  the  first  putting 
on  were  strait,  but  by  and  by  did  wear  loose  enough||  ;" 
since  whatever  may  have  been  his  faults,  his  alacrity,  zeal, 
and  disinterestedness  in  the  conduct  of  his  public  employ- 
ments, was  never  even  by  his  enemies  made  the  subject  of 
doubt  or  invective.  IT 

Whilst  Ralegh  was  thus  reaping  the  reward  of  long  and 
laborious  exertions,  we  find  him  able  to  snatch  a  few  inter- 
vals from  the  perpetual  services  of  a  courtier's  life  to  de- 
vote to  retirement,  or  at  least  to  relaxation,  in  his  country- 
seat  at  Sherborne,  in  Devonshire.  When  disappointment 
assailed  him  in  his  worldly  career,  he  passed  to  this  beloved 

*  Sydney  Papers,  vol.  ii.  p.  212.       t  Winwood's  Memoirs,  vol.  i.  p.  215. 
X  Sydney  Papers,  vol.  ii.  p.  210—212.  §  See  Trial,  in  Oldys. 

U  Bacon's  Apophthegms,  p.  332.  IT  Oldys,  p.  14. 


96  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

retreat,  whither  he  had  secluded  himself  early  in  the  year, 
when  the  Queen,  either  influenced  by  others,  or  with 
feminine  inconsistency,  had  refused  to  the  man  whom  she 
placed  as  governor  over  an  important  island,  the  office  of 
commissioner  for  the  treaty  of  peace  at  Boulogne.  De- 
jected, and  probably  disgusted,  Ralegh  took  refuge  from 
the  harassing  cares  of  ambition  in  the  bosom  of  his  family  ; 
a  retreat  which  no  man  of  virtue  and  intelligence  will  ever 
repent  of  adopting  as  a  resource,  if  he  have  modelled  that 
family  with  good  sense,  elevated  by  principles  of  religion. 
In  his  first  journey  to  his  native  country  during  this  year, 
Ralegh  carried  down  with  him  the  son  of  secretary  Ce- 
cil, a  youth  of  great  promise,  to  reside  as  an  inmate*; 
probably  for  the  purpose  of  receiving  a  similar  course  of 
instruction  with  the  young  Walter  Ralegh.  On  their  road 
they  rested  and  dined  at  Sion  House,  the  seat  of  the  Earl 
of  Northumberland  ;  and  in  Devonshire  Sir  Walter  on  this 
occasion  remained  more  than  five  months.  In  September, 
he  received  as  a  guest  the  secretary  Cecil,  who,  to  use  ex- 
pressions which  well  denote  the  cares  of  a  statesman's  life, 
"  had  picked  out  this  time  to  be  away,  and  to  take  some 
time  to  be  abroad  from  the  infinite  time  and  pains  he  takes 
in  the  dispatch  of  her  majesty's  service  when  he  is  in 
court. f"  Cobham,  whose  selfish,  base,  and  weak  character 
was  either  not  at  this  time  unfolded  to  Ralegh,  or  was  over- 
looked by  him  from  motives  of  interest,  was  also  among  the 
visitants  at  Sherborne,  and,  as  is  shown  by  one  of  Ralegh's 
familiar  letters  to  him,  upon  the  most  intimate  terms.!  The 
repose  which  Ralegh  may  be  presumed  to  have  enjoyed  in 
domestic  society  was  not  of  long  continuance,  circum- 
stances unhappily  arising  which  not  only  for  a  time  de- 
stroyed his  tranquillity,  but  which  have  left,  with  no  faint 
traces,  in  the  opinion  of  many  authors,  stains  of  an  indelible 
character  upon  his  memory. 

The  Earl  of  Essex  had  been  imprisoned  during  six 
months,  a  period  in  which  the  agitations  of  the  Queen's 
mind  were  unparalleled  by  any  previous  excess  of  passion, 
however  momentous  the  circumstances  of  her  life  on  sun- 
dry occasions  had  proved.  The  tragical  close  of  the  Earl's 
career,   afterwards  cut  short  by  her  sovereign    power, 


*  Sydney  Papers,  vol.  ii.  p.  159 
X  See  Appendix. 


t  Ibid.  p.  210—212. 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  97 

might  even  justify  the  sympathy  of  one,  who  had  loved 
him  less  fondly  and  less  foolishly  than  his  royal  mistress. 
Already  had  she  spared  him  the  ignominy  of  a  star-cham- 
ber trial  for  treason,  suffering  him  to  be  summoned  before 
a  private  tribunal  in  the  house  of  the  lord  keeper ;  a  grace 
for  which  Essex,  on  his  trial,  thanked  God  Almighty,  ap- 
plying to  his  "  most  gracious  princess"  the  warmest  epi- 
thets of  mercy,  "  that  she  had  suffered  this  cup  to  pass."* 
Such  was  the  language  of  the  day,  and  such  the  adula- 
tions of  the  times,  that  the  relentings  of  earthly  resent- 
ments were,  with  a  grossness  of  feeling  little  short  of  pro- 
fanity, confounded  with  the  benignant  and  long-suffering 
compassion  of  the  Supreme  Being. 

Lord  Clarendon,  who  displays  in  this  observation  an  in- 
timate knowledge  of  the  female  heart,  remarks,  "  that  if 
ever  that  uncouth  speech  fell  from  Essex  of  the  Queen, 
which  is  delivered  to  us  by  one  who  is  much  conversant 
in  the  affairs  of  the  court,  that  she  was  as  crooked  in  her 
disposition  as  in  her  carcass,  all  my  wonder  at  his  destruc- 
tion is  taken  from  me."f  It  is,  indeed,  too  true,  not  in  re- 
lation to  this  speech  of  the  Earl's,  but  with  regard  to  his 
whole  conduct,  that  he  was  sufficiently  his  own  enemy  not 
to  render  it  necessary  even  to  inquire  by  what  instruments 
of  malice  his  ruin  was  effected.  In  one  of  his  acts  of  im- 
prudence, he  inflicted,  however,  upon  Ralegh,  an  injury, 
which,  if  Sir  Walter  had  any  considerable  share  in  his 
condemnation,  proved,  eventually,  the  cause  of  a  heavy 
retribution.  After  some  alternations  of  repentance  and  of 
violence,  Essex  entered  into  a  correspondence  with  James 
the  Sixth,  King  of  Scotland,  and  failed  not  to  impress  him 
with  formidable  notions  of  Ralegh's  power  and  influence, 
and  with  most  pernicious  ones  of  his  designing  temper. 
Nothing  could  be  more  indiscreet  than  this  act,  and 
nothing  more  certain  to  irritate  the  Queen,  than  to  pay 
any  deference  to  James  in  anticipation  of  his  succession. 
Even  to  name  that  event  in  her  presence,  was,  as  she  was 
wont  to  say,  "  to  pin  up  her  winding-sheet  before  her 
face.|"  It  was,  however,  a  measure  both  rash  in  Essex, 
a'  <d  fatal  to  any  chance  of  estimation  towards  Ralegh,  in 
the  favor  of  James  I. 


*  Camden,  p.  530.  -f  Parallel  in  Reliquite  WottonifB. 

t  NugB  Antique,  vol.  ii.  p.  257. 


98  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

Well  might  Elizabeth  declare  "  that  her  father  would 
not  have  endured  such  perverseness"  as  that  which  Essex, 
the  honored  object  of  her  affections,  displayed.*  But  not- 
withstanding her  devotion  to  him,  prudence,  and  perhaps 
avarice,  induced  her  to  refuse  the  renewal  of  his  farm  of 
sweet  wines  (a  term  applied  to  all  but  French  and  Rhenish 
wines),  the  lease  of  which  was  nearly  expired.  Upon  this 
denial,  Essex,  whose  debts  had  been,  at  an  early  period  of 
his  life,  considerable,  rushed  into  the  vortex  prepared  for 
him  by  false  advisers,  and  rendered  fatal  by  the  violence 
of  his  own  passions.  The  result  was  long  remembered 
with  pain,  by  those  who  admired  his  virtues  and  compas- 
sionated his  errors ;  it  was  viewed  with  indignation  by  all 
who  were  justly  scandalized  at  the  ingratitude  and  perfidy 
of  Essex  to  his  sovereign,  now  in  the  decline  of  life,  and 
erring  only  towards  him  hitherto  in  a  blind  partiality.  On 
the  evening  of  the  7th  of  February  1601,  messengers  were 
dispatched  from  Essex  House  about  the  town,  to  raise  re 
ports  that  Cobham  and  Ralegh  lay  in  wait  for  the  Earl's 
life.  Meanwhile  Essex  had  formed  a  plot  to  enter  the 
city  on  the  following  morning,  which  was  Sunday,  and  to 
present  himself  to  the  aldermen  and  the  people,  craving 
their  aid  against  his  enemies,  and  their  present  help  in  as- 
sisting him  to  make  his  way  to  the  Queen's  presence.f 
On  that  very  morning,  Sir  Ferdinand  Gorges,  one  of  the 
Earl's  adherents,  received  a  message  from  Ralegh,  urging 
him  to  come  with  all  possible  speed  to  Durham  House,  and 
by  water,  as  being  the  most  private  way.  This  intimation 
was  mentioned  by  Gorges  to  Essex,  who  consented  to  his 
hastening  to  the  interview,  but  directed  him  to  meet  Ra- 
legh on  the  water,  on  no  account  to  land  at  Durham 
House,  and  to  take  a  guard  with  him  in  order  to  secure  his 
return. |  The  object  of  this  conference  was  a  kind  en- 
deavor to  save  from  inevitable  destruction  an  old  compan- 
ion in  battle,  Sir  Ferdinand  having  been  with  him  at  the 
siege  of  Cadiz,  of  which  he  wrote  a  relation  highly  credita- 
ble to  Ralegh.  According  to  the  testimony  of  Gorges,  Ra- 
legh came  to  the  interview  alone,  whilst  Gorges  was  attend- 
ed by  two  gentlemen.  On  their  meeting,  Ralegh  told  Gor- 
ges that  he  had  sent  for  him  to  admonish  him  to  make  all 

*  Camden,  p.  533.  t  Ibid,  p.  538.  %  Mdy8,  p.  136 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  99 

haste  out  of  town  down  to  his  charge,*  there  being  a  warrant 
out  for  sending  him  to  the  Fleet.  For  this  kind  advertise- 
ment, Gorges  gave  him  thanks,  but  told  him  that  the  pres- 
ent occasion  would  soon  discover  itself;  that  it  came  toe 
late,  for  that  he  had  engaged  himself  in  another  matter. 
Ralegh  further  inquiring  of  him  what  it  was,  Gorges  told 
him  that  "  there  were  two  thousand  gentlemen  who  had 
resolved  that  day  to  die,  or  live  free  men."  Ralegh  pro- 
tested that  he  had  never  heard  of  the  plot  until  that  morn- 
ing, observing,  that  he  did  not  know  what  they  were  to  dc 
against  the  Queen's  authority ;  to  which  Gorges  replied, 
"  that  it  was  by  the  abuse  of  him  and  others  which  made 
so  many  honest  men  resolve  to  seek  a  reformation."  The 
natural  and  temperate  answer  which  Ralegh  made  to  this 
avowal,  was,  that  "  no  man  is  without  a  color  to  his  in- 
tent :"  upon  which,  after  some  protestations  of  loyalty  on 
the  part  of  Gorges,  they  separated,  Ralegh  returning  home, 
and  Gorges  to  Essex  House.f 

Meanwhile  the  Earls  of  Rutland  and  Southampton,  the 
Lord  Sands,  Lord  Parker,  Lord  Monteagle,  and  about  three 
hundred  disaffected  gentlemen  had  assembled  around  the 
Earl  of  Essex,  whose  house  was  sedulously  guarded  by  his 
own  orders  from  intruders.  To  some  of  his  infatuated 
party,  Essex,  who,  perhaps,  scarcely  knew  his  own  inten- 
tions, declared  his  resolution  to  go  to  the  Queen,  and  in- 
form her  of  the  snares  laid  for  his  life :  and  to  others,  he 
protested,  that,  with  the  help  of  the  city  of  London,  he 
would  revenge  the  injuries  done  by  his  adversaries.  Eliza- 
beth, apprized  of  these  rash  proceedings,  had  lost  no  time 
in  enjoining  the  mayor  and  citizens  to  be  upon  their  guard, 
and  to  do  their  duty.  To  Essex  she  sent  a  deputation  of 
four  privy-councillors,  headed  by  the  lord  keeper  and  the 
lord  chief  justice,  to  inquire  the  cause  of  these  disturbances. 
These  persons  were  with  difficulty  allowed  entrance,  and 
all  their  servants  were  excluded.  They  found  the  Earl  in 
the  court-yard,  in  the  midst  of  a  confused  multitude ;  but 
their  presence  on  this  occasion  appeared  only  to  irritate 
his  passions  and  to  incense  the  misguided  persons  around 
him.J  Stimulated  by  their  outcries,  Essex  consented  that 
the  deputation  should  be  taken  into  custody,  and  in  this 

*  The  Government  of  Plymouth.  f  Oldys,  p.  136. 

JCamdeii,p.  589. 


100  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

perilous  situation  he  left  them,  consigning  the  defence  of 
his  house  to  Sir  Gilly  Merrick,  and  issuing  from  it,  to  pur- 
sue his  first  project  of  raising  the  city.  Few  instances 
are  to  be  found  in  history,  of  a  life  more  needlessly  cast 
away  by  folly  and  insane  violence  than  that  of  Essex. 
When,  on  sallying  into  the  streets,  he  perceived  the  citi- 
zens uniformly  tranquil,  and  refusing,  with  one  accord,  to 
take  up  arms,  to  which,  at  that  period,  all  classes  of  men 
were  regularly  trained,  ho  yet  pursued  his  course  to  the 
sheriff's  house,  although  much  agitated  by  perplexity,  and 
overcome  with  fatigue. 

It  was  now  that  Thomas  Lord  Burleigh,  the  brother  of 
Cecil,  and  the  Garter  King  at  Arms,  entering  the  city, 
proclaimed  Essex  a  traitor.  It  was  at  the  same  time  an 
nounced,  that  the  Lord  Admiral  was  approaching  with  a 
vast  body  of  men.  Upon  this  intelligence,  the  hopes  of 
the  unfortunate  Essex  expired  within  him.  He  prepared, 
therefore,  to  return  to  his  house  ;  he  revolved  in  his  mind 
the  expediency  of  conciliating  the  Queen  by  the  release  of 
her  counsellors ;  and  Gorges,  who  had  been  stopped  by  the 
Queen's  troops  at  Ludgate,  was  fortunate  enough  to  per- 
form that  prudent,  but  tardy  act. 

Essex  now  resolved  to  hasten  home,  a  determination  in 
which  he  was  checked  near  the  west  gate  of  St.  Paul's 
church,  by  a  chain,  defended  with  pikes  and  shot.  This 
precaution  had  been  devised  by  the  Bishop  of  London,  and 
Sir  John  Levison.  And  now  Essex  first  drew  his  sword, 
and  after  seeing  a  young  and  beloved  friend  killed  by  his 
side,  and  having  his  own  hat  shot  through,  he  was  com- 
pelled to  turn  aside  to  Queen  Hythe,  with  a  few  devoted 
followers.  Hence  they  took  boats,  and  arrived  at  Essex 
House.* 

Of  this  eventful  day,  Ralegh  was,  doubtless,  a  busy  wit- 
ness ;  his  post,  as  captain  of  the  Queen's  guard,  requiring 
his  personal  attendance  in  scenes  of  such  immediate  dan- 
ger. He  was  not,  however,  brought  into  contact  with  the 
Earl,  nor  with  any  of  his  accomplices ;  nor  was  it  until 
Essex  was  obliged  to  take  refuge  in  his  own  house,  that 
Ralegh's  services  were  required  near  that  erring,  and  ill- 
fated  nobleman.  The  last  act  of  madness  committed  by 
the  Earl  on  this  memorable  day,  was  the  fortifying  of  his 


*  Camden,  p.  451. 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  10l 

ouse.  He  first  cast  papers  into  the  fire,  lest,  as  he  said, 
'■the j  should  tell  tales."  He  was  buoyed  up  with  expect- 
ations of  relief  from  the  citizens,  until  the  Lord  Admiral, 
his  former  associate  at  Cadiz,  besieged  his  house :  among 
the  officers  who  were  employed  in  this  melancholy  and 
unpopular  service  was  Ralegh.*  The  building  was  care- 
fully barricadoed  on  all  sides;  and  the  Lord  Admiral,  with 
his  son,  Lord  Effingham,  with  Lord  Cobham,  Sir  John 
Stanhope,  Sir  Robert  Sidney,  and  Sir  Fulk  Grevil,  planted 
themselves  on  the  Thames  side,  in  the  garden ;  whilst  an 
adequate  force,  headed  by  several  noblemen,  guarded  the 
house,  near  the  town.  The  particular  post  assigned  to 
Ralegh  has  not  been  specified. 

It  was  ten  o'clock  before  Essex  was  prevailed  on  to  sur- 
render ;  and  in  a  gloomy  night  he  was  conveyed  to  Lam- 
beth Palace,  London  Bridge  being  impassable  by  water ; 
but,  on  the  following  day,  the  Earl  and  his  associates  were 
carried  in  boats  to  the  Tower  ;  an  abode  from  which  few, 
in  the  reign  of  the  Tudors,  were  emancipated,  except  to 
meet  with  that  final  doom  which  gives  liberty  and  repose 
to  the  innocent. 

And  now  the  trial  of  Ralegh's  forbearance,  and  the  test 
of  his  generosity  and  elevation  of  mind,  began.  It  was  un 
derstood,  even  by  the  adherents  of  Essex,  that  "  Sir  Walter 
Ralegh  might  get  himself  eternal  honor  and  love,  more 
than  ever  he  could  otherwise,  if  he  would  procure  her 
Majesty's  warrant  to  free  the  lords,  which  he  might  com- 
pass, by  undertaking  it  in  person,  f"  Yet  we  hear  of  no  at- 
tempt of  this  charitable  nature,  on  the  part  of  Ralegh,  who 
would  surely  have  avowed  it  at  his  own  death,  when  he 
touched,  in  self-justification,  upon  the  popular  charges  made 
against  him  of  malignity  towards  Essex.  For  omissions  of 
a  virtuous  act  no  public  man,  in  those  days  of  peril,  could, 
however,  with  propriety,  be  censured.  Every  favored  cour- 
tier had  his  foes,  who  might  give  an  invidious  coloring  to  any 
behest,  however  innocent.  Elizabeth  was  arbitrary,  almost 
despotic  ;  and,  in  her  seasons  of  irritation,  neutrality  was 
the  only  safe  course.  "  Blessed  are  they,"  said  an  eye-wit- 
ness of  her  court,  "  that  can  be  away,  and  live  contented."}: 
Such,  probably,  was  the  pervading  sentiment  of  all  who 

*  Oldys,  p.  136.  J  Ibid.  p.  137. 

J I  letter  of  Rowland  White  in  Sydney  Papers,  vol.  ii.  p.  126. 


102  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

viewed  closely  the  cares  and  heart-rending  vicissitudes  of 
that  chequered  scene. 

If,  however,  Ralegh  had  the  moderation  to  preserve,  in 
his  conduct  tow  ards  Essex,  an  honorahle  neutrality,  it  was 
more  than  the  world  believed.  The  spirit  of  the  age  per- 
mitted, on  all  public  occasions  where  party  feeling  was  en- 
gaged on  the  side  of  power,  a  vehemence  of  invective 
against  a  delinquent,  and  a  violence  of  proceeding,  which 
would  now  be  regarded  with  disgust,  and  repaid  with 
shame.  The  truth  of  this  observation  was  fully  experi- 
enced by  Ralegh,  at  a  subsequent  period  of  his  life ;  and 
if  he,  by  any  secret  machinations,  aggravated  the  misfor- 
tunes of  Essex,  he  was  severely  but  justly  punished  in  the 
events  of  his  own  ruin. 

On  the  nineteenth  day  of  the  month,  Essex  and  South- 
ampton were  arraigned  in  Westminster  Hall,  the  lord  trea- 
surer Buckhurst  acting  as  lord  steward  on  the  occasion. 
The  Queen's  sergeant-at-law,  Yelverton,  in  an  opening 
speech,  compared  Essex  to  Catiline,  and  made  a  similitude 
between  the  Earl's  ambition  and  the  growth  of  the  croco- 
dile, which  ceaseth  not  "  as  long  as  he  liveth."*  Coke,  the 
Queen's  attorney,  followed  on  the  same  side,  too  well 
adapted  for  the  office  of  adding  abuse  to  proof,  by  a  nature 
as  inflexible  and  unrelenting  to  the  unfortunate,  as  it  was 
subservient  and  cringing  to  the  powerful  and  prosperous. 
He  concluded  an  enumeration  of  the  Queen's  benefits  to 
Essex,  by  wishing  that  ''  this  Robert  might  be  the  last  of 
this  name  Earl  of  Essex,  who  affected  to  be  Robert  first  of 
that  name,  King  of  England." 

To  these  harangues,  Essex,  with  a  cheerful  voice,  and 
composed  manner,  replied,  by  asserting  his  innocence  of 
any  other  intention  than  that  of  prostrating  himself  at  the 
feet  of  the  Queen,  and  declaring  to  her  the  dangers  which 
threatened  his  country.  He  protested  that  his  fidelity  to  his 
sovereign  and  to  his  country  was  untainted.f 

Ralegh,  with  forty  of  the  Queen's  guard,  was  present 
during  the  trial,  and  in  the  course  of  its  progress  was  called 
upon  to  give  his  evidence  relative  to  the.  conference  held 
with  Gorges.  He  deposed,  that  Gorges  told  him  on  the 
water,  that  Essex  had  put  himself  into  a  strong  guard  at 
nis  house,  and  this  would  be  the  bloodiest  day's  work  that 


*  Camden,  p.  543.  t  Camden,  p.  544. 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  103 

aver  was ;  wishing  he  would  speed  to  court  for  the  preven- 
tion of  it ;  that  for  his  own  share  in  the  transaction,  he  al- 
leged he  "  wished  Gorges  to  refuse  their  company,  or  else 
he  would  be  undone.*"  This  testimony  was  confirmed  by 
Gorges,  then  in  court ;  and  was  answered  by  Essex  only 
with  this  observation,  that  it  was  totally  different  to  what 
Gorges  had  mentioned  to  him,  on  returning  to  Essex  House. 
These  particulars  constituted  the  sole  evidence  which  Ra- 
legh was  required  to  give ;  and  it  may  be  hence  naturally 
asked,  why  his  name  was  so  mixed  up  with  this  affair  by 
the  partisans  of  Essex?  It  appears,  however,  from  a  tract 
not  usually  referred  to  by  our  historians,  that  Essex,  in  his 
examination  before  the  trial,  in  order  to  give  a  color  of  jus- 
tice to  his  proceedings,  affirmed  that  he  pursued  the  violent 
measures  to  which  he  had  recourse  chiefly  to  defeat  the 
machinations  of  Ralegh,  and  of  his  partisan  Lord  Cobham, 
against  his  own  honor  and  safety.  He  asserted,  that  when 
he  was  desired,  on  the  seventh  of  February,  to  attend  the 
council,  he  had  declined  because  he  was  apprized  that  Ra- 
legh and  Cobham  had  prepared  an  ambuscade  of  mus- 
keteers upon  the  water,  to  murder  him  as  he  possed.f  This 
pretext,  supported  only  by  the  assertions  of  a  man  infuriated 
to  desperation,  is  deprived  of  every  shade  of  justice  by  the 
fact  that  Essex  practised  against  the  life  of  Ralegh,  by 
means  of  his  agents,  a  circumstance  which  was  admitted 
by  Sir  Christopher  Elount,  one  of  the  Earl's  adherents, 
when  put  upon  his  trial ;  and  from  this  confession,  backed  by 
the  testimony  of  Sir  Ferdinand  Gorges,  whom  Blount  sought 
to  persuade  into  the  bloody  deed,  no  doubt  remained  but  that 
Blount  had  aimed  at  the  person  of  Ralegh,  from  a  boat 
four  deadly  shots.}  On  the  other  hand,  it  was  generally 
supposed  Ralegh  was  the  individual  who  first  apprized  the 
government  of  the  conspiracy,  the  particulars  of  which  had 
been  imparted  to  him  from  Gorges,  who,  doubtless,  proved 
treacherous  to  his  own  party,  and  deceived  them  as  to  what 
had  passed  between  him  and  Ralegh  in  the  conference  ;  and 
who,  for  that  reason,  combined  with  suspicions  of  further 
machinations  against  Essex,  was  never  forgiven  by  the 

*  Oldys,  p.  139. 

f  Oldys,  p.  137.    Biographia,  from  Lord  Bacon's  Declarations  of  E» 
■<ex's  Treasons. 
t  Oldys,  p.  138.  also  Birch,  vol.  i.  p.  45. 


104  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

populace.  The  unfortunate  Earl  endeavored,  on  his  trial 
to  turn  even  the  admonitions  of  Ralegh  to  Gorges  into 
proofs  of  a  conspiracy  against  his  life ;  which  was  evidently 
implied,  he  alleged,  in  the  advice  of  Ralegh  to  Gorges,  to 
withdraw  from  the  company  of  Essex,  as  "  from  a  ship  in 
danger  to  be  wrecked."*  Gorges  was  then  produced,  and 
gave  an  evidence  confirming  the  guilt  of  Essex.  Perhaps 
there  were  few  present  who  were  not  concerned  to  see  this 
treacherous  friend,  one,  too,  who  had  been  distinguished  in 
the  service  of  his  country,  disgrace  his  name  by  a  base  dis- 
closure of  the  guilt  in  which  he  had  participated.  It  was 
obvious,  that  through  some  secret  source,  the  enemies  of 
Essex  had  gained  accurate  information  of  all  his  designs 
and  proceedings.  This  source,  in  all  human  probability, 
was  the  perfidious  Gorges ;  and  the  intercourse  which  Ra- 
legh had  with  him,  and  the  seeming  fair  terms  on  which 
tbey  continued  even  till  the  fatal  day  of  the  insurrection, 
had,  possibly,  a  far  deeper  source  than  common  good-will. 
After  the  conference  at  Drury  House  had  been  mentioned, 
and  it  was  proved  that  the  heads  of  the  consultation  had 
been  written  with  his  own  hand,  the  Earl  burst  forth  into 
passionate  exclamations  : — "  The  hope,"  he  said,  "  of  life 
and  impunity  had  drawn  these  things  out  of  some  ;  and  let 
them  freely  enjoy  their  life  :  for  my  part,  death  is  more 
welcome  to  me  than  life :  Cobham,  Cecil,  Ralegh's  violence, 
hath  driven  me  to  the  necessary  defence  of  my  life." 

Thus  did  he  seek  to  justify  his  own  defection  from  loy- 
alty. To  this  charge,  Cecil  and  Cobham  replied ;  but  Ra- 
legh appears  to  have  intrusted  the  defence  of  his  own  con- 
duct to  Francis  Lord  Bacon,  who,  in  a  polished  and  elegant 
speech,  affirmed  that  "  Cobham,  Cecil,  and  Ralegh  were 
such  sincere  honest  men,  and  had  such  rich  estates,  that 
they  would  never  hazard  their  hopes  and  properties,  by 
entering  into  so  foul  a  conspiracy."!  He  commented  also 
upon  the  inconsistencies  of  the  Earl's  allegations,  in  which 
he  affirmed,  sometimes,  that  he  was  to  be  stabbed  in  his 
bed,  then  slain  in  a  boat,  then  killed  by  the  Jesuits ;  and 
compared  him  to  Pisistratus,  who  wounded  his  own  body, 
and  showed  it  to  the  people  as  if  done  by  his  adversaries ; 
and  having  by  that  means  obtained  a  guard  of  soldiers,  op- 
oressed  the  commonwealth. 

*  Camden,  p.  545.  t  Ibid.  p.  546. 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  105 

In  the  course  of  this  speech,  Essex  interrupted  him  by 
observing,  that  Lord  Bacon  had  written,  not  long  since,  an 
elaborate  letter  in  his  name,  to  the  Queen,  against  the  very 
men  whom  he  now  defended.  This  was  a  just  accusation ; 
and  afforded  one  among  the  various  instances  of  tergiver- 
sation and  insincerity  which  occurred  in  the  life  of  the* 
illustrious,  but  not  faultless,  Bacon. 

After  a  warm  contest  between  Cecil  and  Ralegh,  which 
originated  in  a  dispute  concerning  Dollman's  work  upon 
the  succession  to  the  crown,  the  prisoners  were  pronounced 
guilty,  by  an  unanimous  sentence  of  the  peers.  Greatly 
as  the  popular  indignation  was,  at  this  time,  incensed 
against  Essex,  few  persons  could  hear  his  appeal  to  the 
mercy  of  the  Queen,  and  to  the  mediation  of  the  judges, 
without  pity ;  and  some,  perhaps,  not  without  remorse.  On 
the  edge  of  the  ax  being,  after  his  sentence,  turned  to- 
wards him,  he  said,  "  This  body  might  have  done  the  Queen 
better  service,  if  it  had  so  pleased  her :  I  shall  be  glad  if  it 
may  be  useful  to  her  any  way." 

His  execution  succeeded  his  trial  in  seven  days ;  and  his 
repentance,  in  that  short  space  of  time,  appeared  to  be 
genuine,  whilst  his  confessions  were  copious.  Ralegh  was 
present  at  his  death ;  a  circumstance  which  was  variously 
interpreted :  by  some  he  was  charged  with  the  baseness  of 
pursuing  his  fallen  rival  even  to  the  scaffold,  that  he  might 
glory  in  the  sight  of  those  last  sufferings,  over  which  even 
the  bitterness  of  party  rancor  would  willingly  cast  a  veil ; 
by  others  more  charitable,  it  was  thought  that  he  placed 
himself  near  the  Earl,  in  order  to  answer  any  allegations 
which  the  dying  man  might  make  against  him.  He  was, 
however,  advised  to  withdraw ;  and  with  this  counsel  he 
found  it  expedient  to  comply. 

In  reply  to  the  spirit  in  which  these  acknowledged  factb 
have  been  frequently  detailed  by  historians  on  this  subject, 
it  may  be  urged  that  in  disclosing  the  dangerous  schemes 
of  Essex,  even  if  the  fact  that  he  did  so  were  proved,  Ra- 
legh performed  his  duty  as  a  subject,  and  as  a  well-wisher 
to  the  tranquillity  of  his  country.  Nor  can  it  be  denied 
that  he  was  justified  in  maintaining  any  intercourse  with 
Gorges,  which  might  afford  an  insight  into  the  Earl's  con- 
spiracy With  regard  to  his  assistance  in  the  apprehension 
of  Essex,  it  is  obvious  that  he  acted  in  his  capacity  of  cap- 
.ain  of  the  guard,  an  office  which  obliged  him  to  attend  on 


106  „1FE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

public  occasions,  and  especially  at  those  times  when  the 
public  safety  was  endangered  ;  and  it  would  be  unjust  to 
reproach  him  with  a  service  in  which  some  of  the  most 
valiant  and  honorable  persons  were  employed.  The  impu- 
tation of  a  conspiracy  between  him  and  Cobham  to  murder 
the  Earl  was  unsupported  by  proof,  and  devoid  of  proba- 
bility ;  and  the  charge  of  attending  the  execution  of  Essex, 
which  appeared  from  motives  of  malignant  triumph  to  con- 
tain much  more  likely  grounds  of  accusation,  is  in  a  great 
measure  refuted  by  his  own  simple  statement,  after  he  had 
himself  appeared  before  the  tribunal  of  justice.  On  that 
solemn  occasion  he  thus  expressed  himself: — "  There  was 
a  report  spread,  that  I  should  rejoice  at  the  death  of  my 
Lord  Essex,  and  that  I  should  take  tobacco  in  his  presence ; 
when,  as  I  protest,  I  shed  tears  at  his  death,  though  I  was 
one  of  the  contrary  faction,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death  I 
was  all  the  while  in  the  armory  at  the  further  end,  where 
I  could  but  see  him  ;  I  was  sorry  that  I  was  not  with  him, 
for  I  heard  he  had  a  desire  to  see  me,  and  be  reconciled  to 
me ;  so  that  I  protest  I  lamented  his  death,  and  good  cause 
had  I,  for  it  was  the  worse  for  me  as  it  proved,  for  after  he 
was  gone  I  was  little  beloved."*  Such,  indeed,  was  the 
frame  of  mind  in  which  Ralegh  viewed  the  last  moments 
of  Essex,  that,  as  he  returned  in  a  boat  from  the  Tower,  a 
sad  presaging  anticipation  of  his  own  fate  pressed  heavily 
upon  his  spirits,  and  excited  the  observation  of  his  compan- 
ions.! These  gloomy  forebodings  may  have  been  the  effect 
of  strong  compassion,  or  of  sensations  of  awe  upon  behold- 
ing an  individual,  so  lately,  and  so  peculiarly,  the  favorite 
of  fortune,  conducted  to  the  scaffold  ;  or  they  may  have 
been  produced  by  the  display  of  popular  indignation  which 
had  obliged  Ralegh  to  retreat  from  his  station  near  to  the 
scene  of  action  into  the  armory.  At  any  rate,  they  evince 
any  thing  rather  than  an  insolent  triumph,  or  a  brutal  sat- 
isfaction at  the  destruction  of  one  so  envied,  and,  as  it 
proved,  so  lamented  as  the  unfortunate  Essex. 

It  was,  indeed,  afterwards  asserted,  that  Ralegh,  in  his 
letters,  had  said  that  he  doubted  the  Earl's  saintship,  and 
that  the  "great  boy  had  died  like  a  calf  and  like  a  craven." 
It  was  likewise  affirmed,  that  soon  after  the  execution,  a 

*  See  Life  of  Ralegh,  prefixed  to  History  of  the  World,  p.  39.  8vo.  1673. 
t  Osborne's  Essays,  p.  615. 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 


107 


o-entleman  returning  from  Spain,  rested  at  Sherborne, 
where  Ralegh  then  abode.  On  being  asked  what  they 
said  of  the  death  of  Essex  in  Spain,  this  person  is  stated  tc 
have  replied,  that  they  had  not  heard  of  it ;  but  that  he 
was  sorry  to  hear  that  in  the  island  voyage  the  Earl  had 
brought  Sir  Walter  Ralegh  to  his  mercy.  To  this  observa- 
tion Ralegh  is  said  to  have  answered,  "  But  I  trust  I  am 
now  quit  with  him."  The  author  of  this  tale  also  declares, 
that  Ralegh  gave  instructions  to  the  lieutenant  of  the 
Tower  for  the  execution  of  the  warrant.*  Upon  this  in- 
formation it  has  been  well  observed,  that  it  was  given  by 
the  person  who  afterwards  ensnared  him,  to  those  who 
eventually  condemned  Sir  Walter  Ralegh  to  the  scaffold. 
Common  sense  also  suggests  that  Ralegh,  conscious  as  he 
was  of  some  imputations  of  this  nature,  would  not  thus 
wantonly  lay  himself  open  to  fresh  constructions  of  a  simi- 
lar kind.  . 

So  great  was  the  esteem  in  which  Essex  was  held,  that 
Ralegh  was  never  again  well  received  in  public  ;  and  even 
Elizabeth,  in  addition  to  the  griefs  of  a  breaking  heart,  ex- 
perienced the  chagrin  of  seeing  that  her  popularity  was 
diminished,  that  the  streets  were  less  crowded,  and  the 
acclamations,  as  she  passed,  less  cordial  than  before.f  The 
popular  feeling  was  right :  -Essex,  although  a  dangerous, 
was  not  an  irreclaimable  subject;  and  Elizabeth  evinced 
as  much  harshness  in  thus  punishing  his  offences,  as  a  pa- 
rent who  visits  with  severe  chastisement  a  child  whom  his 
folly  has  spoiled.  Neither  jan  Ralegh,  even  with  the  ben- 
efit of  every  excuse,  rise  untainted  above  the  suspicion 
which  attached  to  him  in  this  affair.  He  must,  in  justice, 
be  indeed  absolved  from  the  heinous  and  almost  diabolical 
designs  laid  to  his  charge ;  but  great  minds  should  be 
judged  by  a  high  standard  of  honor,  and  of  moral  feeling. 
That  which  might  not  appear  extraordinary  in  Cobham,  or 
even  in  Cecil,  became  reprehensible  in  Bacon  and  in  Ra- 
legh. In  consonance  with  the  high  spirit  of  patriotism 
which  he  professed,  with  the  demeanor  of  a  gentleman, 
with  the  sentiments  of  a  Christian,  Ralegh  should  have 
discarded  from  his  inmost  thoughts  every  wish  but  that  for 
mercy,  every  intention  but  that  of  promoting  public  tran- 
quillity, every  recollection  of  past  injury  from  Essex,  every 

*  Oldys  p.  138.  t  Osborne's  Trad.  Memoirs  of  Q.  E 


108  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

idea  of  possible  rivalry  for  the  future.  That  such  was  not 
the  inference  to  be  drawn  from  his  conduct,  is,  unhappily, 
too  true :  in  what  degree  he  was  reprehensible,  it  is  ex- 
tremely difficult  to  determine ;  but  although  the  popular 
feelings  are  often  exaggerated,  they  are  seldom  wholly 
unfounded.  His  mediation  with  regard  to  some  of  the 
other  delinquents  was  effectual ;  and  it  is  not  extravagant 
to  suppose,  that  in  the  wavering  state  of  the  Queen's  mind, 
it  might  not  have  proved  unavailable  with  respect  to  Essex.* 
Sir  Edmund  Baynham,  and  John  Lyttleton,  two  of  the 
conspirators,  were  pardoned,  upon  the  payment  each  of  a 
considerable  sum  to  Ralegh,  who  interceded  in  their  behalf 
with  the  Queen.  The  bribe  held  out  in  this  instance  by 
Lyttleton  is  said  to  have  amounted  to  ten  thousand  pounds. 
Such  was  the  mode  in  which  mercy  was  purchased,  even 
in  the  eulogized  reign  of  Elizabeth  ;  and  such  the  base  and 
mercenary  spirit  in  this  instance  displayed  even  by  the 
liberal  and  patriotic  Ralegh. 

It  was  long  before  Essex  was  forgotten,  or  his  enemies 
forgiven,  by  the  people.  He  died  in  the  thirty-fourth  year 
of  his  age,  a  period  at  which  his  father  was  said  to  have 
warned  him  upon  his  death-bed.f  The  lower  classes  re- 
garded his  execution  as  a  murder,  and  were  the  more 
angry  that  intercession  had  been  made  by  the  opposite 
party  for  Southampton,  but  none  for  Essex.  J  They  forgot,  in 
their  violent  condemnation  of  the  government  which  had 
first  imprisoned,  then  sentenced  him  to  death,  the  obligations 
which  Essex  had  received  from  his  country ;  for,  in  his  public 
employments,  he  had  reaped  at  least  three  hundred  thousand 
pounds^ :  they  forgot  his  influence  with  the  military,  and 
his  asserted  pretensions  to  the  crown ;  and  they  saw  not, 
with  the  exception  of  those  immediately  about  the  court, 
the  agonized  reluctance  with  which  Elizabeth  signed  the 
warrant,  nor  the  griefs  which  even  her  strong  mind  could 
not  after  his  execution,  control.  It  is  probable  that  the  senti- 
ments of  Ralegh  upon  this  mournful  occasion  were  equally 
concealed,  or  misunderstood.  The  history  of  human  mo- 
tives has,  perhaps,  in  few  instances,  been  faithfully  dis- 
closed to  the  world. 


*  Camden,  p.  5-19.  t  Camden,  p.  533. 

J  Osborne's  Essays,  p.  CIO.    London,  1673. 
§  Note  in  Biographia,  art.  Devereux. 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  109 

Throughout  the  whole  of  this  melancholy  business,  the 
Queen  abandoned  herself  to  a  dejection  so  mingled  with 
irritation,  that  few  even  of  her  favorites  ventured  to  ad- 
dress her  on  matters  of  business.  Yet  it  seems  that  her 
resentment  was  not  directed  to  the  enemies  of  Essex,  but 
to  those  who  had  been  his  most  intimate  associates. 

Amongst  the  courtiers  who  had  offended  the  Queen, 
during  the  recent  deputyship  of  Essex  in  Ireland,  was  Sir 
John  Harrington,  the  godson  of  Elizabeth,  and,  usually,  the 
indulged  companion  of  her  lighter  hours.  Secured,  by  his 
privileged  relation  to  her  majesty,  from  the  effects  of  her 
serious  resentment,  and  permitted  in  his  character  of  a  wit 
to  treat  as  sport  those  passing  events  by  which  the  fate  of 
less  happy  courtiers  was  determined,  Harrington  had 
lately  in  some  measure  incurred  the  displeasure  of  Eliza- 
beth during  his  campaign  in  Ireland  with  Essex,  not  so 
much  for  his  visit  to  Lord  Tyrone,  the  leader  of  the  rebels 
there,  as  from  his  changing  the  title  of  captain  into  that  of 
■  knight  on  being  endowed  with  that  order ; — a  dire  offence 
to  Elizabeth,  who,  on  hearing  of  twenty-four  persons  being 
knighted  by  Essex  at  the  siege  of  Roan,  contemptuously 
remarked,  "  that  my  Lord  should  have  made  his  alms-house 
first."* 

No  troubles  or  perils  could  however  chill  the  vivacity 
of  Harrington,  nor  check  the  exuberance  of  his  wit  and 
fancy.  Facetiously  described  by  Fuller  as  a  "  poet  in  all 
things  except  his  poverty,"  Harrington  indulged  in  one  of 
the  supposed  privileges  of  an  imaginative  turn,  by  extrava- 
gant habits,  and  a  thoughtless  indifference  to  the  future. 
His  intimacy  with  Ralegh  was  considerable ;  and  it  is  sat- 
isfactory to  find,  at  a  later  period,  when  Ralegh  was  under 
the  cloud  of  court  displeasure  in  the  reign  of  James,  that 
Harrington  had  the  independence  to  express  a  firm  re- 
liance upon  the  essential  points  of  his  character.  It  is 
even  more  satisfactory  to  those,  who,  admiring  the  talents 
of  Ralegh,  are  disposed  to  view  his  conduct  with  partiality, 
to  perceive  that  the  affair  of  Essex  had  not  impressed  Har- 
rington with  any  notions  prejudicial  to  Ralegh's  honor  and 
veracity.  It  is  evident,  also,  from  the  following  passage, 
that  Cecil  had  not  forgiven,  in  Ralegh,  some  parts  of  his 
behavior  in  that  affair,  which  have  not  been  explained  by 

*  Sydn      Papers,  vol.  ii.  p.  129. 


110  LIFE  OP  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

any  of  the  contemporary  writers,  sufficiently  to  show  how 
far  they  were  calculated  to  rouse  the  anger  of  the  secre- 
tary. "  Cecil  doth  beare  no  love  to  Raleighe,  as  you  well 
know,  in  the  matter  of  Essex.  I  wiste  not  that  he  (Ralegh) 
hath  evyll  desygn,  in  pointe  of  faithe  or  relygion.  As  he 
hath  ofter,  discoursede  to  me  moch  lernynge,  wysdome, 
and  freedome,  I  knowe  he  dothe  somewhat  dyffer  in  opyn- 
yon  for  some  others ;  but  I  thynke  alsoe  his  hearte  is  well 
fixed  in  every  honeste  nature,  to  serve  the  state,  especial- 
lie  as  he  is  versede  in  foraign  matters,  his  skyll  thereyn 
being  alwaies  estimable  and  prayseworthie.  In  relygion, 
he  hathe  showne  (in  pryvate  talke)  great  depth  and  good 
readynge,  as  I  once  experyenced  at  hys  owne  howse,  be- 
fore manie  lernyde  men.*"  Happy  himself  in  escaping 
unhurt  from  the  snares  of  a  courtier's  life,  Harrington  ex- 
perienced enough  of  its  vicissitudes  to  congratulate  him- 
self that  if  he  had  been  driven  "  amongst  state  rocks  and 
sightless  dangers,"  he  "  had  not  ventured  so  far  as  to  be 
quite  sunken  herein.f"  For  some  time  after  his  return 
from  Ireland,  he  was  regarded  almost  on  the  same  footing 
as  the  delinquent  Essex,  and  was  threatened  with  the 
Fleet ;  to  which  he  answered,  "  poetically,"  "  that  coming 
so  late  from  the  land-service,  he  hoped  he  should  not  be 
pressed  to  serve  in  her  Majesty's  fleet  in  Fleet-Street." 
At  length  he  gamed  a  full  audience  of  the  Queen,  where 
she,  being  herself  accuser,  judge,  and  witness,  he  was 
cleared,  and  graciously  dismissed.  He  then  retired  to 
Kelston,  near  Bath ;  a  seat  which  had  been  settled  by 
Henry  the  Eighth  upon  one  of  his  natural  children,  a 
daughter,  who  was  the  first  wife  of  Sir  John  Harrington's 
father.^  Nevertheless,  he  could  not  resist  the  inclination 
which  curiosity  and  habit  occasion,  sometimes  to  visit  the 
court,  notwithstanding  his  resolution  to  "  leave  great  mat- 
ters  to  those  who  liked  them  better  than  himself."  He 
found,  at  every  successive  interview,  the  strength,  the 
spirits,  and  the  self-command  of  the  Queen  fast  diminish- 
ing, and  neither  Ralegh  nor  Cecil  could  be  ignorant  of  the 
sorrows  which  were  making  rapid  inroads  into  Elizabeth's 
constitution.  Her  decline,  "  too  fast,"  as  many  thought, 
"  for  the  evil  they  should  get  by  her  death,"  and  too  slow 
for  her  own  release  from  misery,  was  now  apparent  to  all. 

*  Nugse  Antiquse,  vol.  i.  pp.  342,  343.  f  Ibid.  J  Ibid. 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  Ill 

£>he  joined,  indeed,  in  her  former  amusements,  but  it  was 
with  a  faltering  step,  and  with  faint  attempts  at  forced 
cheerfulness.  When,  after  a  short  absence,  Harrington 
was  summoned  to  her  presence,  she  inquired  if  he  had 
seen  Tyrone  !  On  his  reply,  that  he  had  seen  him  with  the 
lord  deputy,  she  smote  her  bosom,  and  said,  "  Oh  now  it 
mindeth  me  that  you  were  one  who  saw  this  man  else- 
where,"— the  connexion  between  Harrington  and  Essex 
being  thus  recalled  to  her.  And  when  Harrington,  think- 
ing to  revive  in  her  Majesty  the  old  remembrance  of  his 
pleasantries,  which  had  often  amused  her,  read  some  verses, 
she  told  him,  in  the  language  of  a  breaking  heart,  "  that 
she  was  passed  all  relish  for  fooleries."  But  during  the 
short  space  of  time  that  she  survived  Essex,  the  wretched 
Queen,  condemned  to  pay  the  usual  tax  of  royalty,  was 
constrained  to  sustain  the  weariness  of  ceremonial  with  a 
wounded  spirit,  and  to  support  the  cares  of  business,  when 
all  enjoyment  of  her  sovereignty  was  at  an  end. 

In  the  summer  of  this  year  she  made  her  last  ,™, 
progress,  in  which  Ralegh  accompanied  her  to 
Dover,  and  probably  to  Hampshire.  Whilst  the  Queen 
was  at  Dover,  the  siege  of  Ostend,  by  the  Archduke  Al- 
bert, alarmed  Henry  the  Fourth  for  his  own  frontiers,  and 
brought  him  to  Calais  to  provide  for  the  safety  of  his  do- 
minions. When  Elizabeth  heard  of  his  arrival  there,  she 
dispatched  Sir  Thomas  Edmonds  to  make  her  formal  con- 
gratulations and  inquiries  respecting  his  health.  In  returr 
for  this  compliment,  Henry  sent  over  the  celebrated  Rosni 
Due  de  Sully,  one  of  the  most  experienced  statesmen  and 
profound  politicians  of  the  day.  It  was  the  fortune  of  Ra- 
legh, with  Cobham  and  Sir  Robert  Sydney  and  others,  to 
receive  this  celebrated  man  on  his  landing  at  Dover ;  a  cir- 
cumstance which  is  mentioned  by  Sully  in  his  Memoirs  of 
the  Reign  of  Henry  the  Fourth.*  It  is  to  be  regretted 
that  no  observations  on  the  part  of  Ralegh,  on  meeting  a 
man  so  justly  renowned,  have  come  to  light ;  since,  per- 
haps, there  is  no  subject  of  contemplation,  in  human  affairs, 
more  interesting  than  the  sentiments  with  which  great 
men  regard  each  other  upon  their  first  interview.  Whilst 
the  Queen  pursued  her  course  into  Hampshire,  the  Mar- 
shal Biron  was  also  deputed  by  Henry  the  Fourth  to  make 

*  Sully's  Memoirs,  vol.  v.  p  60. 


112  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

an  embassy  into  England  ;  and  reaching  London  on  the  5th 
of  September,  he  proceeded  with  a  magnificent  retinue  of 
three  or  four  hundred  persons  to  the  neighborhood  of  Bas- 
ing, the  seat  of  the  Marquis  of  Winchester,  to  whom  the 
Queen  was  then  paying  one  of  those  burdensome  ana 
sometimes  ruinous  visits  with  which  it  was,  in  those  times, 
customary  for  our  English  monarchs  to  honor  their  sub- 
jects. Biron  took  up  his  abode  at  the  Vine,  a  seat  of  Lord 
Sandys,  furnished  with  seven-score  beds  from  the  neigh- 
boring gentry,  and  with  furniture  from  the  Queen's  palace 
for  the  foreign  guests.  The  festival  which  here  took  place 
is  said  to  have  been  one  of  the  most  continued  and  sump- 
tuous entertainments  ever  given  on  a  royal  progress.* 
Among  ten  persons  whom  the  Queen,  contrary  to  her 
usual  proceeding,  knighted  at  one  time,  was  Carew,  that 
younger  brother  of  Sir  Walter  Ralegh,f  who  afterwards 
sold  his  patrimonial  estates  of  Widdycombe,  Ralegh,  and 
Fardel ;  and,  removing  from  his  native  county,  became  the 
ancestor  of  the  Raleghs  of  Wiltshire,  who  flourished  long 
after  the  reign  of  Elizabeth.!  Sir  Carew  was  favored,  in 
several  instances,  by  Queen  Elizabeth,  and  held  the  office 
of  steward  of  her  manor  of  Gillingham  in  Gloucester- 
shire. § 

Two  inferences  are  deducible  from  the  circumstance  of 
his  being  knighted  at  Basing.  First,  we  are  led  to  surmise 
that  Ralegh  was  probably  present  upon  such  an  occasion, 
and  that  he  participated  in  the  festivities  given  in  honoi 
of  Biron  ;  and,  secondly,  we  are  brought  to  a  still  more 
certain  conclusion  that  Ralegh's  favor,  in  the  estimation  of 
Elizabeth,  had  in  no  degree  suffered  from  his  recent  share 
1601  *n  ^e  ca^a^s  agamst  Essex.  During  the  month  of 
October  in  this  year  parliament  mec,  the  last  in 
Elizabeth's  reign,  and  the  first  of  which  there  is  a  list  ex- 
tant of  the  members. ||  Sir  Walter  and  his  brother  both 
served  in  this  parliament ;  the  one  for  Cornwall,  the  other 
for  Foway  in  that  county.  Sir  Walter  on  this  occasion 
made  a  very  creditable  and  conspicuous  figure  in  the 
House  of  Commons ;  in  his  speech  against  the  act  to  pro- 
mote the  sowing  of  hemp.     It  was  his  opinion  that  the 


*  Nicholl's  Progresses  of  Queen  Elizabeth,  vol.  ii.  p.  6.  f  Ibid. 

t  Note  in  Oldys,  p.  139.  §  Ibid 

|  Oldys,  p.  139,  from  Townshend's  Historical  Collections. 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  113 

penalties  enforced  by  this  statute,  in  some  instances,  re- 
tarded the  progress  of  agriculture ;  in  others,  that  it  obliged 
those  to  plow  who  were  scarcely  able  to  furnish  the 
seed-corn  to  sow  the  land.  "  I  do  not,"  said  he,  "  like  this 
constraining  of  men  to  manure  the  ground  at  our  wills ; 
but  rather  let  every  man  use  his  ground  for  that  which  it 
is  most  fit  for,  and  therein  use  his  own  discretion.  For 
where  the  law  provides  that  every  man  must  plow  the 
third  of  his  land,  I  know  divers  poor  people  have  done  so 
to  avoid  the  penalty  of  the  statute,  when  their  abilities 
have  been  so  poor  that  they  have  not  been  able  to  buy 
seed-corn  to  sow  it ;  nay,  they  have  been  fain  to  hire 
others  to  plow  it,  which  if  it  had  been  unplowed,  would 
have  been  good  pasture  for  beasts,  or  might  have  been  con- 
verted to  other  good  uses."  The  bill  was  afterwards 
thrown  out  by  a  majority  of  a  hundred  and  sixty-two  to  a 
hundred  and  three.*  Ralegh  next  spoke  in  favor  of  the 
subsidy ;  a  question  on  which  he  was  opposed  by  Bacon, 
who  contended  in  favor  of  collecting  the  demand  of  three 
hundred  thousand  pounds  from  the  poor  as  well  as  the  rich ; 
a  measure  which  was  adopted,  and  which  was  afterwards 
acknowledged  by  Ralegh  to  be  necessary  to  make  up 
the  sum.  In  his  Prerogative  of  Parliaments,  he  informs 
us,  however,  that  his  solicitude  to  tax  the  better  sort  only, 
was  suggested  by  the  Queen  herself,  who  "  desired  much 
to  save  the  common  people ;"  and  that  he  did  so  bv  her 
command.f 

The  subject  of  monopolies  was  next  discussed  ;  and  in 
this  the  personal  interests  of  Ralegh  were  peculiarly  con- 
cerned. This  theme  of  discussion  related  to  a  practice 
which  had  not  first  originated  with  Elizabeth  ;  but  it  had 
been  carried  to  a  greater  extent  by  her  than  by  her  prede- 
cessors, for  a  reason  creditable  to  her  subjects,  but  preju- 
dicial to  their  comforts.  The  great  achievements  which 
the  age  had  witnessed  were  so  numerous  among  the  Eng- 
lish, that  Elizabeth  was  unable  to  reward  her  subjects  in  a 
manner  adequate  to  their  merits,  except  by  granting  pat- 
ents for  monopolies,  which  were  sold  to  those  persons 
who  desired  to  trade  in  any  particular  article.];  The  con- 
sequences of  these  grants  may  readily  be  conceived, — the 

*  Oldys,  p.  139.  from  Townshend's  Historical  Collections, 
t  Ralegh's  Prerogative  of  Parliaments.  J  Hume. 

K2 


114  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

immense  and  unfair  prices  imposed  upon  the  public,  to  the 
great  deterioration  of  trade,  and  the  odium  justly  incurred 
by  those  who  were  the  instruments  and  gainers  in  this 
species  of  oppression.  Every  possible  commodity  for  the 
purposes  of  luxury,  or  the  means  of  amusement,  and  even 
the  necessaries  of  life,  were  under  the  control  of  these 
patentees,  who  were  armed  with  powers  from  government 
to  enforce  their  privileges,  and  to  levy  fines  upon  those 
whom  they  charged  with  interfering  in  their  patent.  Not 
only  was  an  immoderate  and  arbitrary  price  thus  affixed  to 
every  article,  but  industry  and  competition  were  precluded, 
ill-will  promoted,  and  liberty  curtailed ;  many  of  the  pat- 
entees having  the  power  to  enter  any  place,  where  they 
imagined  that  goods,  which  they  had  licenses  for  selling, 
were  secreted.*  It  may  be  mentioned  as  an  additional 
evil  of  this  extraordinary  system,  that  whilst  commerce 
was  diminished  and  the  number  of  vexatious  statutes  and 
limitations  multiplied ;  whilst  the  middling  classes  were 
shackled  and  the  poor  oppressed,  the  spirit  thus  engendered 
among  the  nobility  was  paltry  and  debasing ;  avarice  was 
cherished  ;  and  a  disregard  to  the  interests  of  our  fellow- 
men  necessarily  associated  with  notions  of  selfish  aggran- 
dizement. 

When  Ralegh,  with  other  of  the  monopolists,  appeared 
in  the  debate  on  this  question,  he  defended  nimself  with 
considerable  spirit  and  eloquence  against  any  peculiar 
censure  attaching  to  his  own  conduct,  and  affirmed  his 
willingness  to  give  up  his  patent  in  case  of  the  rest  being 
also  repealed.f  He  explained  the  nature  of  his  patent, 
which  was  chiefly  for  tin,  and  which  he  affirmed  had  bene- 
fited the  poor  miners  by  raising  their  weekly  earnings  from 
two  to  four  shillings.  He  informed  the  house  that  it  was 
the  same  as  that  which  the  dukes  of  Cornwall  had  hitherto 
been  allowed  to  exerc-ae.  He  inveighed  in  strong  terms 
against  other  monopolies,  especially  against  that  possessed 
Dy  Sir  Henry  Neville  for  the  transportation  of  ordnance, 
by  which  even  the  Spaniards  were  provided  with  instru- 
ments for  our  destruction.  It  was  remarked  that  a  long 
and  profound  silence  followed  this  speech.  It  is  painful 
o  deteriorate  from  the  merit  of  Ralegh  in  the  sacrifice 
which  he  proposed ;  but  he  was  probably  aware  of  the 

*  Hume,  reign  of  Elizabeth,  8vo.  edition,  p.  324.  t  Birch,  p.  46. 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  115 

Queen's  intention  with  respect  to  monopolies.  The  most 
popular  act  of  her  reign  was  her  ready  acquiescence  to  the 
opinions  and  wishes  of  her  parliament,  in  this  instance ; 
her  repeal  of  some  of  the  most  grievous  of  the  licenses,  and 
the  gracious  manner  in  which  the  proposition  was  prof- 
fered :  and  never  was  gratitude  expressed  in  a  more  ful- 
some, obsequious,  and  almost  profane  manner,  than  on  this 
occasion.*  Besides  the  proceedings  which  have  been  enu- 
merated, Ralegh  voted  also  for  the  repeal  of  a  statute  of 
tillage,  enacted  in  time  of  dearth,  and  for  other  bills  of 
local  or  of  passing  importance. 

During  the  period  of  his  life  which  embraced  the  last 
ten  years  of  Elizabeth's  reign,  Ralegh  devoted  considera- 
ble attention  to  the  concerns  of  Cornwall,  and  found  lei- 
sure, notwithstanding  the  pressure  of  public  business,  to 
study  its  antiquities  and  to  cherish  its  interests.  He  pro- 
cured the  restoration  of  seventeen  manors  in  that  county 
to  their  ancient  tenure,  which  was  disputed  at  Nisi  Prius, 
although  it  had  subsisted  for  three  centuries.  The  tenants 
had  deputed  Richard  Carew  of  Anthony,  one  of  the  deputy- 
lieutenants  of  Cornwall,  to  present  a  petition  to  Lord  Bur- 
leigh, entreating  the  continuance  of  their  ancient  privi- 
leges; and  this  remonstrance  was  seconded  by  Ralegh, 
who,  whilst  residing  in  the  west  of  England,  wrote  earn- 
estly in  behalf  of  the  supplicants.  He  also  prevented  the 
imposition  of  an  ancient  tax  upon  the  curing  of  fish,  im- 
posed in  the  time  of  Henry  the  Second,  and  now  revived 
by  some  interested  persons,  who,  under  pretence  of  serving 
the  crown,  sought  to  obtain  patents  to  prevent  the  salting 
and  drying  of  fish  without  licenses.  The  destruction  of 
this  branch  of  commerce,  and  the  oppression  of  the  poor 
Cornish  trader,  formerly  heavily  burdened  with  fines  to  the 
ancient  earls  of  Cornwall,  were  the  consequences  of  this 
dishonorable  attempt  to  enrich  private  individuals  at  the 
expense  of  the  community.!  Ralegh  applied  the  whole 
force  of  his  interests,  and  the  strength  of  his  arguments, 
to  prevent  a  result  so  injurious  to  the  prosperity  of  Corn- 
wall, of  which  he  was  then  lieutenant.  His  next  exertions 
related  to  the  reduction  of  the  taxes  upon  the  manufacture 
of  tin ;  and  in  this  matter,  which  was  disputed  before  the 
council,  he  was  equally  successful ;  joining  personally  iu 

*  Hume,  8vo.  p.  328.  |  Oldys,  pp.  128, 129. 


116  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

the  discussion,  in  which  he  attempted  to  restore  the  privi- 
lege of  pre-emption,  founded  in  the  reign  of  Edward  the 
First.  The  exercise  of  this  privilege  was  afterwards  vested 
in  Ralegh,  as  the  person  most  qualified  to  regulate  it  judi- 
ciously and  impartially.*  For  the  zeal  with  which  he 
promoted  these  regulations,  Ralegh  obtained  the  encomiums 
of  Richard  Carew,  one  of  the  numerous  branches  of  the 
ancient  family  of  that  name,  and  better  known  as  the  au- 
thor of  a  "  Survey  of  Cornwall ;" — a  work  which  he  dedi- 
cated to  Ralegh,  with  a  flattering,  but  apparently  well- 
merited  address.  In  this  composition,  Ralegh  is  assured, 
that  whilst  he  exercises  an  extensive  command,  both  civil 
and  military,  over  the  people  of  Cornwall,  he  possesses  a 
far  greater  interest  in  "their  hearts  and  loves"  by  his 
kindness.  "  Your  ears  and  mouth  have  ever  been  open  to 
hear  and  deliver  our  grievances ;  and  your  feet  and  hands 
ready  to  go  and  work  their  redress ;  and  that,  not  only  as 
a  magistrate  of  yourself,  but  also,  very  often,  as  a  suitor 
and  solicitor  to  others  of  the  highest  place. f"  Such  was 
the  language  in  which  the  benevolent  labors  of  Ralegh  for 
the  lower  classes  of  Cornwall  were  eulogized.  Happy 
had  it  been  for  him,  if  his  views  had  been  henceforward 
limited  to  philanthropic  endeavors  to  promote  the  local 
benefit  of  his  countrymen,  or  in  the  advancement  of  scien- 
tific and  literary  knowledge. 

In  conducting  the  concerns  over  which  his  situation  of 
lord  warden  of  the  stannaries,  and  other  occasional  offices, 
required  him  to  preside,  Ralegh  found  considerable  assist- 
ance from  his  antiquarian  researches,  which  afterwards 
became  highly  important,  and  which  were  extended  by  him 
to  the  study  of  history. 

The  study  of  antiquities,  and  of  all  pursuits  connected 
with  history,  was  then  much  in  vogue  ;  and  considerable 
opportunities  were  afforded  for  the  most  intricate  and  im- 
portant researches,  from  the  dispersion  of  many  valuable 
tracts  from  the  monasteries  but  recently  dissolved,  and 
from  the  visitations  of  our  universities  and  colleges.  J  Stim- 
ulated by  these  inducements,  a  society  of  antiquarians  had 
been  formed  in  1572,  under  the  auspices  of  Archbishop 
Parker,  the  patron  of  the  revival  of  the  Saxon  language. 
To  this  learned  association  Ralegh  belonged,  until  the 

*  Oldys,  pp.  128, 129        t'bid.        I  Biographia  Britannica,  art.  Cotton. 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  117 

illiberal  and  impolitic  jealousy  of  the  government  crushed 
in  their  commencement  the  exertions  which,  if  freely  ex- 
ercised at  so  advantageous  a  period,  might  have  proved 
highly  beneficial  to  our  national  literature;  and  would, 
perhaps,  have  illuminated  many  of  those  obscure  points  of 
our  history,  concerning  which,  conjecture  and  disputation 
will  never,  in  all  probability,  be  at  rest.  In  vain,  however, 
had  the  Society  petitioned  Queen  Elizabeth  to  be  incorpo- 
rated into  a  society  or  academy  for  the  study  of  antiquities. 
Devoted  to  the  colleges  of  Oxford  and  Cambridge,  that 
princess  desired  not  to  run  the  risk  of  interfering  with  those 
important  institutions  ;  and  her  example  was  not  only  fol- 
lowed by  her  successor,  but  umbrage  taken  at  the  frequent 
meetings  of  the  antiquarians,  to  whom  the  suspicious 
temper  of  the  government  attached  sinister  and  dangerous 
motives. 

Under  these  unfavorable  circumstances,  the  Society  was 
dissolved  ;*  but  its  important  objects  were  pursued  sedu- 
lously, although  with  far  less  facility,  by  individuals.  In- 
deed if  we  affix  to  the  reign  of  James  the  First  any  distinct 
literary  era,  it  would  probably  be  that  of  antiquarian  lore  ; 
and  if  we  recall  the  names  of  Verstegan,  Camden,  Speed, 
Cotton,  Selden,  Bacon,  Ralegh,  and  of  many  other  eminent 
persons,  we  shall  acknowledge,  that,  although  the  efforts 
of  the  antiquaries  may  have  been  circumscribed,  their  en- 
thusiasm in  the  cause  was  not,  perhaps,  diminished  by  op- 
position. At  the  time  of  Ralegh's  association  in  this  infant 
and  oppressed  society,  the  meetings  were  held  in  the  apart- 
ments of  the  garter  king  at  arms  (supposed  to  have  been 
Sir  William  Dethewick),  at  Derby  House,  which  is  now 
appropriated  to  the  Herald's  Office.f  Among  the  names 
of  the  early  members  were  those  not  only  of  the  retired 
and  humble  laborers  in  the  pursuit  of  knowledge,  but  of 
the  great,  the  wealthy,  and  the  warlike.  The  elder  Bur- 
leigh, Sir  Philip  Sydney,  and  the  Herberts,  Earls  of  Pem- 
broke, were  thus  brought  into  contact  with  the  indefatiga- 
ble Stow,  Spelman,  Camden,  Cotton,  Hooker,  and  Selden. 

*  Until  a  more  favorable  era,  as  far  as  royal  indulgence  was  con- 
cerned, but  a  far  less  advantageous  one  for  the  researches  into  those 
memorials,  many  of  which  had  been  dilapidated,  and  some  altogether 
destroyed,  in  the  civil  wars.  It  was  revived  in  1707,  and  in  1751  incor 
porated  by  George  the  Second. 

t  Oldys,  p.  130. 


118  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

With  some  of  these  eminent  men,  Ralegh  maintained  an 
intimacy,  creditable  and  advantageous  to  himself;  to  others 
he  afforded  the  assistance  which  his  abundant  means  ena- 
bled him,  at  this  time,  to  afford  :  from  several  he  obtained, 
in  the  progress  of  his  own  works,  those  aids  which  the 
learned  and  curious  can  alone  supply. 

Among  those  to  whom  the  learned  were  principally 
indebted  for  the  stores  of  information  which  his  own  dili- 
gence and  liberality  enabled  him  to  dispense,  was  Sir 
Robert  Cotton,  whose  name,  as  long  as  our  national  library 
exists,  will  never  be  forgotten ;  nor  should  it  ever  be  re- 
membered except  with  gratitude.  To  him  Ralegh,  in  the 
latter  part  of  his  days,  whilst  in  prison,  applied  for  some 
of  those  valuable  corner-stones  of  knowledge  upon  which 
a  fabric  of  extensive  interest  and  importance  might  se- 
curely be  reared.  Sir  Robert  Cotton  bore  the  same  rela- 
tion to  Ralegh,  and  to  many  others,  as  that  in  which  the 
mineralogist,  who  tries  and  discovers  the  vein  of  ore,  stands 
to  him  who  raises  the  precious  metal  from  the  earth,  and 
displays  it  in  the  most  pleasing  form  to  an  admiring  world. 
Consulted  as  an  oracle  by  the  learned  men  of  his  time,  he 
had  supplied  manuscript  materials  for  the  histories  of  Cam- 
den, Hayward,*  Speed,  Bacon,  Selden,  as  well  as  for  that 
afterwards  published  by  Ralegh.f  Employed  from  the 
early  age  of  eighteen  in  the  collection  of  manuscripts,  few 
persons  had  more  to  bestow  than  Sir  Robert  Cotton ;  and 
what  was  next  in  importance,  none  had  a  greater  disposi- 
tion to  render  his  accumulated  treasures  useful  to  others. 
There  were  subjects  upon  which  it  was  not  in  those  days 
deemed  sufficient  for  historical  writers  to  trust  to  the  re- 
ports of  others  :  and  it  was  not  uncommon  for  antiquaries 
to  make  long,  and,  in  the  absence  of  regular  travelling 
accommodations,  tedious  journeys,  to  any  particular  spot 
which  they  desired  to  commemorate.  It  was  about  the 
time  when  Ralegh's  name  is  first  associated  with  the  So- 
ciety of  Antiquaries,  that  the  excursion  of  Camden  and  of 
Cotton  to  Carlisle  was  undertaken,  and  a  part  of  the  Picts' 
wall,  still  preserved  at  Connington,  brought  away  for  the 
inspection  of  the  curious.  So  great  was  the  fame  of  Sir 
Robert  Cotton's  collection,  that  no  work  of  importance  was 
commenced  without  referring  to  that  compendium  of  chart- 

*  See  Hayward's  Life  of  Edward  VI.  |  Biographia  Britannica. 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  119 

ers,  records,  and  other  documents.  Wedded  to  his  manu- 
scripts, and  in  the  peaceful  prosecution  of  literary  studies, 
he  long  survived  the  less  happy  Ralegh ;  so  that  all  access 
to  his  stores  of  learning  was,  during  Ralegh's  life,  requested 
as  a  personal  i'avor.  After  effecting  as  much,  in  the  ser- 
vice of  historical  truth,  as  it  appears  possible,  in  the  short 
span  of  life,  to  accomplish,  Sir  Robert  left  his  inestimable 
library  to  his  family,  with  such  a  security  in  his  will  against 
the  chance  of  its  being  sold  or  dispersed,  that  posterity 
should  have  the  benefit  of  referring  to  it  as  a  collection.* 

Whilst  Ralegh  thus  enriched  his  works  with  contribu- 
tions from  Sir  Robert  Cotton,  he  had  the  credit  of  affording 
aid  to  his  relative  John  Hooker  in  the  compilation  of  his 
"  Records  of  Devon.f"  This  industrious  antiquary,  the 
assistant  of  Holinshed  in  his  great  work,  the  Chronicles 
of  Britain,  was  the  uncle  of  Richard  Hooker,  author  of 
the  justly  celebrated  work  on  Ecclesiastical  Polity.  These 
ingenious  and  learned  men  were  remotely  related  to  Ra- 
legh, and  were  both  born  in  Devonshire,  which  Camden 
describes  as  a  "countrey  fruitfull  of  noble  wits."J  Hooker 
dedicated  his  Supplement  to  the  Chronicles  of  Ireland,  in 
Holinshed,  to  Ralegh :  and  in  that  address  to  his  relative 
and  patron  he  has  testified  his  gratitude  for  the  benefits 
conferred,  and  his  respect  for  the  talents  possessed,  by  that 
valuable  friend. 

The  assistance  afforded  to  Hooker  by  Ralegh  proves 
how  considerable  a  proficiency  he  must  have  attained  in 
antiquarian  researches ;  and  he  appears  to  have  had  a  col- 
lection of  manuscripts, — the  learned  Selden  applying  to 

*  This  collection  consists  in  MSS.  in  loose  skins,  or  bound  up  in  vol- 
umes, sometimes  many  upon  different  subjects  in  one  cover.  They  came 
into  the  possession  of  Sir  Robert  Cotton,  sometimes  by  legacy,  sometimes 
by  purchase  ;  and  were  collected  at  visitations,  upon  the  dissolution  of 
the  monasteries.  The  Cotton  library  was  much  augmented  by  his  sous. 
Sir  Thomas  and  Sir  John  Cotton,  and  remained  in  the  family  residence, 
in  Westminster,  near  the  House  of  Commons.  In  the  reign  of  William 
III.  an  act  of  parliament  was  passed  for  securing  it  in  the  family  of  the 
Cottons;  but  Cotton  House  was  afterwards  bought  from  the  great-erand- 
son  of  Sir  Robert,  by  Queen  Anne,  and  was  made  a  repository  both  for 
the  Cottonian  and  the  Royal  Library.  Some  years  afterwards,  it  was 
removed  to  a  house  near  Westminster  Abbey  belonging  to  the  crown; 
where  a  fire  breaking  out  in  173L  one  hundred  and  eleven  books  were 
lost,  burnt,  or  wholly  defaced,  and  ninety-nine  rendered  imperfect.  It 
was  afterwards  removed  to  the  dormitory  of  Westminster  School,  and 
since  to  the  British  Museum.    Note  in  Biog.  art.  Cotton. 

t  A  work  which  has  never  been  printed.    Oldys,  p.  5. 

J  Camden,  p.  514. 


120  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

him  for  the  loan  of  some  from  his  library.*  The  acquaint 
ance  with  this  indefatigable  man,  which  must,  in  all  prob- 
ability, either  have  preceded,  or  have  been  the  consequence 
of  an  application  of  this  nature  from  Selden,  was  an  advan- 
tage to  any  person  interested  in  such  pursuits,  which  may 
scarcely  be  expected  to  occur  again :  for  Selden, — endowed 
as  he  was  with  almost  unparalleled  energy,  with  an  admi- 
rable foundation  of  learning,  and  living,  as  he  did,  when 
literary  men  mingled  but  little  in  the  gaieties  and  pleas- 
ures of  the  world,  and  seldom  quitted  their  retirements  ex- 
cept when  some  urgent  question  of  politics  or  religion 
called  them  forth, — had  the  good  fortune,  like  Sir  Robert 
Cotton,  to  reap  the  benefit  of  those  monastic  wrecks, 
which  none  but  the  learned  knew  how  to  prize  ;  and  which 
therefore  became,  at  a  moderate  expense  of  every  thing 
but  time,  their  property.  Hence  he  found  materials  for 
his  work  on  the  Dominion  of  the  Kings  of  England  over 
the  Narrow  Seas,  chiefly  from  the  monastic  recordsf ;  and 
happily  conciliated  the  displeasure  of  James  I.  towards 
him  on  account  of  some  former  works,  by  settling  a  dis- 
puted right  to  the  fisheries  on  our  coasts,  to  which  the 
Dutch  had  lately  set  claim. J  Partly  by  these  means,  also, 
Selden  was  enabled  to  collect  the  valuable  library  which 
he  left,  with  an  earnest  injunction  to  his  executors  to  dis- 
tribute it  among  themselves,  rather  than  expose  it  to  pub- 
lic sale.  In  consequence  of  his  further  remark,  that  it 
would  suit  some  public  library,  or  college,  they  considered 
it,  however,  right  to  remove  it  to  some  chambers  in  the 
King's  Bench  Walk ;  but  no  house  being  provided  for  it 
by  that  Society, — in  that  instance  displaying  neither  learn- 
ing nor  wisdom, — it  was  placed  in  rooms  added  purposely 
to  the  Bodleian  Library,  with  a  Latin  inscription  in  the 
apartment,  denoting  the  gratitude  and  respect  of  those  who 
received  the  munificent  gift.  Thus,  within  a  very  short 
space  of  time,  were  three  valuable  collections,  which,  if 
once  dispersed,  could  never  have  been  replaced,  conferred 
upon  public  institutions. 

In  being  contemporary  with  Bodley,  Selden,  and  Cotton, 
Ralegh  in  all  probability  enjoyed  not  only  the  benefit  of 
these  collections,  but,  what  is  in  all  cases  more  important, 

*  Oldys,  p.  130.  f  Preface  to  Tanner's  Notitia,  p.  57. 

X  This  work  was  published  1636,  lcng  after  being  written,  and  wag 
dedicated  to  Charles  1.    Biog. 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  121 

that  of  their  counsels  and  conversations.  The  mind  almost 
sickens  to  learn  with  certainty  to  what  extent  his  commu- 
nications with  these  great  men  proceeded :  hut  there  are, 
unhappily,  no  traces  of  any  thing-  more  than  the  facts  that 
he  exchanged  with  them  mutual  good  offices. 

Contrary  to  that  which  commonly  occurs  with  learned 
men,  Selden,  obscure  hi  his  mode  of  writing,  and  apt  to 
crowd  his  works  with  an  oppressive  and  perplexing  weight 
of  learned  matter,  had,  in  his  conversation,  according  to 
Lord  Clarendon,  "  the  best  faculty  of  making  hard  things 
easy."*  By  the  same  admirable  judge,  "  he  was  accounted 
a  person  whom  no  character  can  flatter  ;  so  conversant  with 
books  that  you  would  have  thought  his  whole  life  passed 
in  reading ;  yet  his  humanity  was  such,  that  you  would 
have  thought  him  bred  in  courts."f  Yet  Selden,  like  Ra- 
legh, was  subjected  to  representations  of  a  far  different 
nature  ;  and  whilst  he  was  sometimes  accused  of  being 
harsh  in  his  nature  and  manners,  he  was  not  only  reproba- 
ted by  the  clergy,  and  prosecuted  by  the  desire  of  King 
James  for  a  work  controverting  the  divine  right  of  tithes, 
but  was  suspected  by  some  persons  of  infidelity,  or,  in  the 
fashionable  language  of  that  day,  Hobbism ;  a  charge  from 
which  he  has  been  strenuously  defended  by  Baxter,  upon 
the  authority  of  Sir  Matthew  Hale.J 

The  circumstance  of  Ralegh's  supplying  Selden  with 
books,  leads  to  the  conclusion  that  Selden,  in  return,  may 
have  afforded  some  assistance  to  Ralegh  in  his  historical 
works.  The  work  on  the  Prerogative  of  Parliaments, 
which  he  dedicated  to  King  James,  was  the  first  which  he 
published  requiring  historical  accuracy  ;  but  it  is  uncertain 
at  what  time  he  began,  or  whether  he  was  actually  the 
author  of  an  "  Introduction  to  a  Breviary  of  the  History  of 
England,  with  the  Reign  of  William  I.,  entitled  the  Con- 
queror," and  published  in  1693,  from  the  MSS.  of  Arch- 
bishop Sancroft,  by  Dr.  Moore,  afterwards  Bishop  of  Ely. 
By  one  of  the  biographers  of  Ralegh  the  authenticity  of 
this  piece  is  doubted^ ;  but  its  resemblance  in  style  to  the 
usual  composition  of  his  writings  appears  to  afford  some 
internal  evidence  of  its  being  his  production.  It  has  been 
also  conjectured,  that  this  was  one  of  the  works  which  em- 
ployed his  latter  days|[ ;  but  upon  this  subject,  since  many 

*  Clarendon's  Characters.     Reliquiae  Wottonia?,  p.  138. 
t  Biog.  Brit.        J  Ibid.  §  Cayley,  vol.  ii.  p.  188.       [|  Ibid.  p.  186. 

J-i 


122  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

years  elapsed  between  his  death  and  the  publication,  tho 
greatest  possible  uncertainty  rests.  Many  of  his  works 
remained  long  in  manuscript;  for  in  the  period  of  the  civil 
wars,  circumstances  were  unfavorable  to  the  reception  of 
his  works  in  particular,  and  to  the  publication  generally  of 
literary  productions.  Such,  however,  was  the  worth  in 
which  Ralegh's  works  were  held  by  the  celebrated  John 
Hampden,  that  he  was  at  the  expense  of  having  three 
thousand  four  hundred  and  fifty-two  sheets  of  Ralegh's 
manuscripts  transcribed  a  short  time  before  the  civil  wars ; 
— an  amanuensis  being  furnished  with  fire  and  candle,  and 
a  private  apartment,  with  an  attendant  to  deliver  the  origi- 
nals into  his  hands,  and  to  receive  his  copies  as  soon  as 
they  were  finished.*  The  writings  themselves,  many  of 
which  have  since  been  published,  justly  merited  this  tribute 
from  the  patriot,  who  probably  found  in  them  the  seeds  of 
many  valuable  ideas  of  our  constitution  and  government. 
That  Ralegh  availed  himself  of  the  best  sources  of  informa- 
tion to  enrich  his  works,  is  obvious,  not  only  from  his  con- 
nexion with  the  Society  of  Antiquaries,  and  from  his  com- 
munication with  the  ingenious  men  of  whom  it  was  com- 
posed ;  but  from  his  encouragement  of  those  institutions 
which  could  aid  him  and  other  students  in  the  progress  of 
knowledge.  Thus,  whilst  he  lent  books  to  Selden,  he 
also  contributed  the  sum  of  fifty  pounds  to  augment  the 
Bodleian  Library.f 

In  his  days  of  prosperity,  Ralegh  was  associated  not  only 
with  the  studious  and  erudite,  but  with  the  witty  and  im- 
aginative characters  who  illumined  the  sixteenth  century. 
Before  the  accession  of  James,  Ralegh  instituted  a  meeting 
of  intellectual  men  at  the  Mermaid,  a  celebrated  tavern 
in  Friday-street.  {  To  this  club,  Shakspeare,  Beaumont, 
Fletcher,  Jonson,  Selden,  Cotton,  Carew,  Martin,  Donne, 
and  many  other  distinguished  literary  men,  were  accus- 
tomed to  repair;  forming  an  association  certainly  unri- 
valled in  any  preceding  time,  unequalled  by  any  subse- 
quent assemblage,  and,  in  all  probability,  not  likely  to  be 
witnessed  in  our  own  days.  Here,  in  the  luxury  of  unre- 
strained and  congenial  society,  were  to  be  heard  the  "  wit- 

*  Lloyd's  Worthies.    See  Cayley,  p.  189.  t  Cayley,  vol.  ii. 

X  Gifford's  Life  of  Ben  Jonson,  p.  65,  prefixed  to  an  edition  of  his 
works. 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  123 

combats"  of  Shakspeare  and  Jonson,*  and  the  grave  dis- 
quisitions of  Selden,  Cotton,  and  Ralegh ;  but  if  we  may 
credit  the  attractive  description  of  the  poet,f  playful  rail- 
lery, exalted  by  the  power  of  genius,  predominated  over 
abstruse  discussion. 

"  What  things  have  we  seen 

Done  at  the  Mermaid  !  heard  words  that  have  been 
So  nimble,  and  so  full  of  subtle  flame, 

As  if  that  every  one  from  whom  they  came 
Had  meant  to  put  his  wit  in  a  jest,"  &c. 

The  result  of  such  communications  as  these,  is  frequent- 
ly a  close  intimacy  between  such  of  the  parties  as  dis- 
cover in  each  other  that  indefinable  power  of  sympathy, 
best  described  by  the  term  congeniality,  which  is  found  to 
be  so  capricious  in  its  application,  yet  so  delightful  in  its 
consequences.  That  this  bond  did  not  exist  between  Ra- 
legh and  Jonson,  is  evident  from  the  opinion  entertained 
of  the  former  by  the  great  dramatist.  At  what  time  their 
acquaintance  commenced;  upon  what  principles  or  with 
what  sentiments  it  was  continued ;  or  how  far  it  was  ce- 
mented, or  rather  perpetuated,  by  obligations  on  one  side 
or  on  the  other; — are  points  of  extreme  uncertainty. 
There  is  no  doubt  of  their  introduction  to  each  other  having 
taken  place  in  Jonson's  youth  and  in  Ralegh's  middle 
age ;  for  Jonson  was  twenty-two  years  younger  than  Ra- 
legh, and  was  scarcely  arrived  at  the  zenith  of  his  fame 
when  the  unfortunate  Ralegh  was  in  the  decline  both  of 
his  natural  existence  and  of  his  fortunes.  It  is  well  known 
that  Jonson,  although  a  umn  of  originally  good  family, 
was  reduced  by  the  imprisonment  of  his  father  in  the  reign 
of  Queen  Mary,  and  by  the  second  marriage  of  his  mother 
with  a  bricklayer,  to  work  in  that  craft  for  his  subsistence. 
For  this  purpose  he  was  taken  from  St.  John's  College, 
Cambridge,  whither  he  was  sent  after  receiving  at  West- 
minster school  the  instructions  of  the  celebrated,  and  no 
less   virtuous,   Camden.     Reduced  to   this    condition,   in 

*  Referred  to  by  Fuller.  "  Many,"  says  he,  "  were  the  wit  combates 
betweene  Ben  Jonson  and  Shakespeare.  I  behold  them  like  a  Spanish 
great  galleon  and  an  English  man  of  war.  Master  Jonson,  like  the 
former,  was  built  far  higher  in  learning,  solid,  but  slow  in  his  perform- 
ances. Shakespeare,  like  the  latter,  lesser  in  bulk,  but  lighter  in  sailing, 
could  turn  with  all  tides,  tack  about,  and  take  advantage  of  all  windB 
by  the  quickness  of  his  wit  and  invention  "     Fuller  vol  fi.  d  415 

t  Jonson. 


124  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

which  the  aspirations  of  an  intelligent  mind  and  the  en- 
joyments of  imagination  may  be  presumed  to  have  added 
a  species  of  tantalizing  torture  to  the  mortifications  of  low 
pursuits  and  the  privations  of  penury,  Jonson  is  stated  to 
have  been  selected  by  Ralegh  as  the  tutor  of  his  son  Wal- 
ter, with  the  charge  of  accompanying  him  in  his  travels 
abroad.  It  would  be  agreeable  to  the  partial  biographers 
of  Ralegh  if  this  fact  could  be  accredited.  That  he  had 
discernment  to  perceive,  and  liberality  to  prize  merit  in  an 
humble,  and,  to  a  man  of  classical  education,  degrading 
station,  would  be  a  consideration  both  creditable  to  him 
and  gratifying  to  all  who  wish  well  to  his  memory.  The 
statement  is,  however,  widely  at  variance  with  truth.  It 
has  been  accompanied  by  the  assertion  that  it  was  Camden 
who  recommended  Jonson  to  Ralegh.*  That  this  was  the 
origin  of  their  acquaintance  may  be  true ;  but  that  it  could 
not  have  been  with  the  view  of  Jonson's  undertaking  the 
tuition  of  young  Ralegh  is  obvious,  from  the  fact  that  at 
this  period  of  Johnson's  life  the  supposed  object  of  his  in- 
structions was  not  in  existence, — his  birth  happening  in 
the  year  1595,  when  Jonson  was  serving  as  a  volunteer 
in  Flanders,  f 

The  anecdotes,  too  lightly  admitted  as  authentic,  of  the 
young  student's  contempt  for  his  master,  and  of  his  sending 
the  poet,  when  intoxicated,  in  a  basket  to  Sir  Walter,  are 
refuted  by  this  simple  remembrance  of  certain  dates ;  and 
happily,  both  for  the  tutor  and  for  the  pupil,  no  such  dis- 
grace seems  to  have  befallen  the  one,  nor  such  example  to 
have  disgusted  the  other  of  the  parties. 

From  all  that  can  be  gathered  on  this  subject,  it  may  be 
inferred  that  no  cordial  intimacy  nor  bond  of  gratitude  sub- 
sisted between  Ralegh  and  Ben  Jonson.  The  poet  is 
said  to  have  admired  the  talents  of  his  eminent  contempo- 
rary, but  to  have  distrusted  his  sincerity.!  He  is  even  as- 
serted to  have  remarked,  that  Sir  Walter  Ralegh  "  es- 
teemed more  fame  than  conscience.  ^"  Perhaps  there  are 
few  men,  who,  like  Ben  Jonson,  see  closely  into  the 
darkest  passions  and  into  the  most  hidden  motives  of  human 
nature,  and  who  yet  are  able  to  divest  their  minds  of  sus- 
picion, and  their  hearts  of  that  contamination  which  pro- 

*  Gifford,  p.  x.  f  Ibid.  p.  x. 

J  Ibid.  p.  xi,  §  Ibid.  p.  cxxii 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  125 

ceeds  from  a  long-  contemplation  of  vice,  sufficiently,  to 
render  a  just  tribute  of  appr<  tbation  to  the  virtues  of  others. 
It  is  probable,  also,  that  party  feelings  may  have  influenced 
Jonson's  opinion  of  Ralegh  ;  for  whilst  the  latter  was  dis- 
graced, and  eventually  deprived  both  of  liberty  and  life, 
by  James  the  First,  Jonson  was  the  peculiar  favorite  of 
that  monarch  as  a  dramatist,  and  was  consequently  disposed 
to  view  political  questions  much  in  the  same  point  of  view 
as  the  sovereign  whom  he  served.  His  sentiments  with 
respect  to  Ralegh  must  not,  therefore,  be  allowed  to  influ- 
ence us  without  some  caution  :  otherwise,  as  a  contempora- 
ry, and  as  an  associate  in  the  far-famed  meetings  at  the 
Mermaid,  Jonson  must  be  allowed  to  have  had  ample 
means  of  forming  an  estimate  of  Ralegh's  character. 

He  was  besides  employed  in  assisting  Ralegh  in  the 
compilation  of  the  History  of  the  World,  to  the  frontispie .  j 
of  which  he  wrote  some  good  lines.*  Jonson,  like  many 
great  writers  of  the  time,  had  an  excellent  library,  col- 
lected, by  degrees,  from  his  own  scanty  means,  and  con- 
taining more  scarce  and  valuable  books  than  any  other 
private  collection  in  the  kingdom.  Selden,  in  referring  to 
a  book  possessed  by  Jonson,  has  not  omitted  to  indulge  in 
that  which  is  to  generous  minds  a  gratification — the  op- 
portunity to  eulogize  both  his  friend  the  dramatist,  and  Ills 
library  ;f  commending  not  only  his  talents  as  a  poet,  but 
that  "  special  worth  in  literature,  accurate  judgment,  and 
performance  known  only  to  the  few  who  are  truly  able  to 
know  him."  Among  these,  Ralegh,  it  is  obvious,  was  so 
fortunate  as  to  benefit  largely  from  the  acquirements  of 
Jonson,  although  he  may  not  have  shared  in  the  affection 
and  good  opinion  of  that  remarkable,  and,  in  a  peculiar 
line,  almost  unrivalled  genius. 

It  were  endless  to  enumerate  the  illustrious  men  of 
this  period  with  whom  Ralegh,  in  all  probability,  was  per- 
sonally acquainted.  That  little  of  his  correspondence  has 
been  preserved,  except  where  it  related  to  his  public  con- 
cerns, is  a  circumstance  to  be  seriously  regretted.}:  The 
man  who  could  boast  of  intimate  communication  with 
Shakspeare,  Beaumont,  and  Jonson,  must,  without  relation 

*  Gifford,  note  xi.  f  Ibid.  p.  147,  note. 

}  See  some  letters  in  the  Appendix,  collected  from  the  State  Paper  Of 
fice,  and  now  first  published. 

L2 


126  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

to  his  own  natural  or  acquired  talents,  have  merited  well 
the  care  of  his  surviving  relatives  and  executors  to  his 
slightest  epistolary  compositions:  but  when  we  consider 
how  valuable  and  how  interesting  would  have  been,  not 
the  remarks  as  relating  only  to  others,  but  as  conveying 
the  sentiments  of  the  relater,  we  are  tempted  to  revile  at 
the  supineness  or  carelessness  of  those  to  whom  the  papers 
of  Sir  Walter  Ralegh  were  committed.  Perhaps  it  may 
be  observed,  and  with  some  appearance  of  justice,  that  his 
life  was  so  chequered  with  incidents,  so  occupied  with  the 
active  business  of  life,  that  he  may  have  had  little  inclina- 
tion, and  found  little  leisure,  to  enter  into  the  engrossing 
occupation  of  communicating  his  thoughts  on  literary  sub- 
jects to  others.  To  this,  those  who  have  perused  the  few 
of  Ralegh's  letters  still  extant  may  reply,  that  they  display 
an  ease  and  fluency  which  can  only  be  acquired  by  habit : 
they  are,  in  fact,  specimens  of  the  most  perfect  mode  of 
expression,  whether  they  relate  to  the  emotions  of  the  in- 
most soul,  its  cares,  its  tenderness,  or  its  hopes,  or  whether 
they  comprise  simple  narrative  and  explanation.  In  all 
his  works  Ralegh  describes  that  in  which  he  was  at  any 
time  peculiarly  concerned  with  a  distinctness,  animation, 
and  force  of  language  in  which  few  of  our  English  writers 
have  excelled  him.  That  which  he  carried  to  such  per- 
fection, he  probably  indulged  in  as  a  recreation.  He  has 
left  us,  of  his  familiar  correspondence,  enough  only  to  ex- 
cite a  strong  desire  for  more  abundant  means  of  judging 
of  his  excellence  in  this  line. 

The  season  was  now  nearly  at  an  end  for  Ralegh's  tran- 
quil enjoyment  of  social  or  literary  conversation,  or  for 
study  undisturbed  by  corroding  anxieties.  In  the  begin- 
ning of  this  year,  the  Queen,  who  was  now  in  her  seven- 
tieth year,  betrayed  more  plainly  those  symptoms  of  decay 
which  had  been  obvious  to  her  attendants  since  the  death 
of  Essex.  By  determined  temperance,  both  in  abstaining 
from  wine,  and  in  her  diet,  she  had  hitherto  preserved  un- 
injured the  vigor  of  a  constitution  which  seemed  formed  by 
nature  to  encounter  the  cares  and  risks  of  royalty.  She 
was  wont  to  say,  "  that  temperance  was  the  noblest  part  of 
physic ;"  an  admirable  sentiment,  but  which,  with  the  pre- 
judice of  one  who  had  ever  been  accustomed  to  an  obsequi- 
ous compliance  with  her  opinions,  she  carried  so  far  as  to 
reject  all  aid  of  medicine  when  sickness  actually  asailed 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  127 

her.  Perhaps  she  may  have  heen  aware  that  the  sufferings 
of  a  mind  diseased  constituted  her  only  specific  complaint, 
and  that  her  malady  had  passed  the  influence  of  human 
ministration.  She  had  now  recourse  to  those  aids  which, 
if  sincerely  resorted  to,  are  never  ineffectual  in  any  season 
of  life.  She  frequented  divine  service,  and  had  prayers 
read  in  her  presence  more  frequently  than  ever ;  quitting 
Westminster  also  for  Richmond,  to  enjoy  quiet  of  body,  and 
religious  repose.  Yet  the  unhappy  closing  days  of  her  ex- 
istence were  embittered  not  only  by  those  regrets  for  Es- 
sex, which  died  only  when  she  herself  expired,  but  by  the 
intrigues  of  her  courtiers  with  her  presumed  successor, 
James  the  Sixth,  and  by  the  neglect  to  which  her  acute- 
ness  and  experience  could  not  remain  insensible.  Once, 
when  in  a  state  of  irritation,  she  exclaimed  in  the  bitter- 
ness of  her  heart,  "  They  have  yoked  my  neck ;  I  have 
none  in  whom  I  may  trust;  my  estate  is  turned  upside 
down  !  *" — a  complaint  which  was  wrung  from  her,  by  the 
advice  of  some  of  her  courtiers  to  send  for  James  even  be- 
fore her  days  were  ended.  Elizabeth  was,  however, 
avenged  for  this  desertion  and  ingratitude  by  the  regrets 
of  those  who  knew  her  best,  when  they  became  competent 
judges  of  the  prince  to  whom  they  paid  such  sedulous  and 
indelicate  attentions  ;  and  when,  too  late,  it  was  discovered 
how  great  a  prize  had  been  lost  when  she  ceased  to  sway 
the  sceptre,  f  Meanwhile,  Cecil  and  most  of  her  approved 
and  veteran  counsellors  were  in  secret  correspondence  with 
James,  exalting  his  merits  in  his  own  eyes, — a  very  un- 
necessary labor, — and  seeking  to  depreciate  the  merits  of 
their  expiring  sovereign.}  Even  her  godson,  Sir  John  Har- 
rington, thought  it  not  unseemly  to  lavish  his  ingenuity 
upon  a  new-year's  gift,  presented  by  him  to  James  at 
Christmas,  in  the  year  1602,  consisting  of  a  dark  lantern 
made  of  four  metals,  with  a  crown  of  pure  gold  on  the  top, 
and  within  a  silver  shield,  to  give  reflection  to  the  light,  on 
one  side  of  which  was  the  sun,  the  moon,  and  seven  stars ; 
the  whole  explained  by  the  inscription,  borrowed,  with  no 
very  scrupulous  taste,  from  the  words  of  the  poor  thief  who 
Was  crucified  with  our  Lord  and  Savior, — "  Lord,  remem- 

*  Camden,  p.  585. 

t  Nugse  Antique,  vol.  i.  See  Letter  from  Sir  R.  Cecil  to . 

X  Camden.  Osborn. 


128  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

ber  me  when  I  come  into  thy  kingdom  !  *"  But  Harring- 
ton, although  favored  by  James,  learned  afterwards  to  bless 
the  Queen's  memory,!  and  to  compare  her  address,  practi- 
cal wisdom,  and  clear  understanding,  with  the  awkward 
conceit,  prejudice,  and  mixture  of  learning  and  folly,  which 
characterized  her  successor. 

Whilst  the  Queen  declined  daily,  ambitious  persons  of 
every  denomination  flocked  into  Scotland,  both  by  sea  and 
land,  to  pay  their  adorations  to  the  northern  luminary  who 
was  soon  to  enlighten  this  nether  hemisphere.  Even  Cecil, 
\\  ho  had  been  as  prompt  as  any  of  his  contemporaries  in 
endeavoring  to  secure  his  own  footing  with  James,  thought 
it  not  beneath  him  to  deceive  his  royal  mistress  with  a 
contemptible  falsehood,  when  surprised  one  day  by  the  ar- 
rival of  a  packet  from  Scotland  whilst  he  was  riding  with 
Her  Majesty  upon  Blackheath.  Elizabeth,  inquiring  from 
whence  the  dispatch  came,  and  hearing  that  it  was  from 
Scotland,  stopped  her  coach,  and  desired  that  it  might  be 
delivered.  Cecil,  pretending  to  be  equally  anxious,  called 
for  a  knife  to  cut  the  string  ;  but  when  it  was  opened,  as- 
sured the  Queen  that  it  consisted  of  old  musty  parchments, 
which  it  would  trouble  Her  Highness  to  endure.  There 
were  seasons  when  Elizabeth's  acuteness  would  have  detect- 
ed this  subterfuge,  and  when  her  pride  would  not  have  sub- 
mitted to  this  imposition ;  but  her  spirits  were  broken,  and 
her  mind,  during  her  later  years,  had  been  entirely  sub- 
jected to  the  dominion  of  Cecil.  The  messenger  was  dis- 
missed, that  the  packet  might  be  purified  before  being  ad- 
mitted to  the  royal  presence ;  and  the  minister  enjoyed  the 
self-gratulation  of  having  outwitted  the  monarch,  whom  he 
afterwards  described  as  "  more  than  a  man,  and  (in  troth) 
sometimes  less  than  a  woman.J"  Such  was  the  address  of 
Cecil,  that,  whilst  cajoling  Elizabeth,  he  conciliated  James ; 
and  although,  like  Ralegh  and  Harrington,  he  was,  to  use 
the  words  of  the  latter,  "  nearly  lost  upon  the  coast  of  Es- 
sex," he  contrived  to  avoid  all  the  evils  which  accrued  to 
Ralegh  from  the  death  of  the  unfortunate  Earl.  To  what  ex- 
tent he  contributed  to  the  mischief  which  afterwards  en- 
sued to  those  who  co-operated  with  him  in  that  affair,  will 
appear,  as  far  as  history  has  enlightened  us  on  the  subject. 

*  Nugas  Antique,  p.  326.  t  Ibid.  p.  355. 

J  Nugae  Antique,  345.    Letter  from  Cecil  to  Harrington. 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  1  29 

Meanwhile,  he  contrived  to  adopt  that  policy  by  which  his 
own  preservation  was  secured.  Cecil  had  all  the  narrow- 
ness of  an  ambitious  statesman ;  his  father,  with  equal  dis- 
cretion, would  have  pursued  a  more  upright  course  in  se- 
curing the  same  ends,  than  his  artful  and  able  son  deemed 
it  expedient  to  adopt. 

But  all  necessity  for  subterfuge,  as  far  as  Elizabeth  was 
concerned,  was  shortly  to  be  at  an  end ;  and  those,  who  for 
motives  of  private  interest,  or  of  public  opinion,  desired  to 
see  James  upon  her  throne,  were  soon  gratified  by  the  ful- 
filment of  their  wishes.  In  the  beginning  of  March,  a 
heaviness,  with  a  frowardness  common  in  old  age,  an  in- 
difference to  food,  and  a  dislike  to  any  subject  but  that 
which  excited  religious  reflections,  intimated  that  her  days 
were  fast  hastening  to  a  close.  In  this  extremity,  her 
faithful  servant,  the  Lord  Howard  of  Effingham,  shared 
her  confidence  to  the  last,  and  continued  in  his  assiduous 
attendance  on  her.  To  him,  and  to  the  Archbishop  of 
Canterbury,  she  chiefly  addressed  her  conversation ;  and  to 
the  latter  she  named,  as  her  successor,  James  of  Scotland. 
This  was  a  point  which  had  long  been  insisted  upon  by 
Cecil,  who  was  emboldened,  by  the  absence  of  all  compe- 
tition in  the  Queen's  favor,  to  tell  her  that  "  too  many 
years  had  been  already  lapsed,  and  the  people's  quiet 
hazarded  by  her  delay  in  not  fixing  upon  one  certain  suc- 
cessor.*" Thus  urged  on  all  hands,  the  Queen,  in  her 
last  moments,  declared,  "  that  her  throne  had  been  the, 
throne  of  kings,  and  that  her  kinsman  the  king  of  Scots 
should  succeed  her.f" 

Her  thoughts  were  then  wholly  fixed  in  prayer,  and  her 
last  words  declared  that  her  mind  "  was  wholly  fixed  on 
God,  nor  did  it  wander  from  him."  Immediately  after  her 
death,  the  neighborhood  of  the  metropolis  was  almost  de- 
serted by  the  higher  classes;  the  great  families  of  the  north 
hastened  to  their  country-seats  to  proffer  their  hospitality 
to  the  king  on  his  journey ;  whilst  those  who  had  not  the 
means  of  showing  him  in  this  manner  their  loyalty  and  de- 
votion, repaired  to  York,  there  to  await  the  arrival  of  James 
the  First  of  England. 


♦Osborne's  Memoirs  of  Queen  Elizabeth.    See  his  Works,  1682;  p 
398. 
t  Camden,  p.  385. 


1  30  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

Accession  of  James. — Intrigues  against  Ralegh. — Mediation  of  the  Eail 
of  Northumberland. — Character  of  Cecil : — Of  James  —His  first  Inter- 
view with  Ralegh. — Causes  of  Ralegh's  disgrace. — Acts  of  oppression 
on  tt.e  part  of  James. — Memorial  addressed  by  Ralegh  to  the  King. — 
Reason  assigned  by  James  for  his  dislike  to  Ralegh. — State  of  foreign 
affairs. — Particulars  of  the  Conspiracy,  commonly  called  "  Ralegh's 
Plot." — Arabella  Stuart — Brook — Cobham — Grey. — Examinations  of 
Cobham  and  Ralegh  : — Their  committal  to  the  Tower. — Ralegh's  at- 
tempt at  suicide  : — His  trial. — Character  of  Coke. — The  Trial  and  Fate 
of  the  other  Conspirators. — Observations  upon  the  degree  of  blame  to 
be  attached  to  Ralegh. 

Sir  Roger  Aston,  many  years  the  messenger  between 
Elizabeth  and  James  the  Sixth  of  Scotland,  on  coming  to 
London  to  desire  that  all  things  should  be  made  ready  for 
the  reception  of  James,  after  his  accession  to  the  throne 
of  England,  addressed  the  Council  in  these  words: — 
"  Even,  my  Lords,  like  a  poor  man  wandering  forty  years 
in  a  wilderness  and  barren  soil,  am  I  now  arrived  at  the 
land  of  promise."  Such  were  the  prevailing  sentiments 
of  the  Scots ;  but,  with  respect  to  Ralegh,  the  case  was 
essentially  different,  and  sudden  was  the  vicissitude  which 
befell  him  on  the  accession  of  James  to  the  throne.  Busy 
machinations  had  been  for  some  time  at  work  previous  to 
the  death  of  Elizabeth.  Already  had  Cecil,  in  a  corre- 
spondence which  still  remains  in  witness  of  his  duplicity,* 
justified  himself  in  the  sight  of  James  for  all  past  events 
in  which  he  had  borne  a  part.  The  arts  of  the  minister 
were  seconded  by  the  powerful  interest  of  Sir  George 
Hume,  afterwards  Earl  of  Dunbar,  whose  influence  over 
James  was  sufficient  to  induce  him  to  pardon  in  Cecil  his 
concern  in  the  death  of  Essex,  a  crime  which  he  never 
forgave  in  Ralegh.f 

This  endeavor  on  the  part  of  Cecil  to  extricate  himself 
from  blame,  by  casting  imputations  upon  his  former  friend 
and  associate,  was,  indeed,  controverted  by  Henry  Percy,  the 
accomplished  Earl  of  Northumberland,  the  intimate  friend  of 
Ralegh,  and  brother  to  Sir  Charles  Percy,  who  was  among 
those  who  were'  fortunate  enough  to  bear  the  first  news  of 

*  In  the  Hatfield  collection. 

t  Weldon's  Court  and  Character  of  James  I.,  p.  10,  II. 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  131 

Elizabeth's  death  to  James.*  Unhappily,  the  impressions  on 
the  King's  mind  were  too  indelibly  fixed,  to  be  eradicated  by 
this  generous  mediation.  Northumberland,  with  a  boldness 
unusual  in  those  days,  and  with  a  display  of  ability  which 
would  have  done  him  honor  at  any  time,  attempted  to  cor- 
rect in  James  the  false  notion  that  Essex  had  been  the  firm 
and  uniform  partisan  of  the  Scottish  succession,  and  that 
the  enemies  of  Essex  had  been  opposed  to  that  natural, 
and  evidently  unalterable,  arrangement.  After  showing 
that  Essex  had  "  worn  the  crown  of  England  in  his  heart 
for  many  vears,"  and  was,  therefore,  little  disposed  to  place 
it  on  the  head  of  James,  the  Earl  proceeded  to  discuss  the 
loyalty  of  Ralegh,  and  of  Cobham,  under  whose  names 
were  comprehended  a  numerous  party.  With  regard  to 
Cobham,  he  declared  his  inability  to  express  an  opinion  ; 
and  he  discarded  the  subject  of  that  nobleman's  intentions 
as  comparatively  unimportant,  or  as  interwoven  with  those 
of  Ralegh,  by  whom  Cobham  was  generally  supposed  to  be 
wholly  guided  in  all  his  concerns.  Of  the  latter,  he  spoke, 
however,  with  a  degree  of  confidence,  not  rendered  suspi- 
cious by  any  vehement  panegyric,  and  established  by  an 
acquaintance  of  sixteen  years.  "  I  must  needs  affirm," 
said  this  manly  supporter  of  the  calumniated  and  oppressed, 
"  Ralegh's  fete  allowance  of  your  right ;  and  although  I 
know  him  insolent,  extremely  heated,  and  a  man  that  de- 
sires to  seem  to  be  able  to  sway  all  men's  fancies,  all  men's 
courses,  and  a  man  that  out  of  himself,  when  your  time 
shall  come,  will  never  be  able  to  do  you  much  good  nor 
harm,  yet  I  must  needs  confess  what  I  know,  that  there  is 
excellent  good  parts  of  nature  in  him  ;  a  man  whose  love 
is  disadvantageous  to  me  in  some  sort,  which  I  cherish 
rather  out  of  constancy  than  policy,  and  one  whom  I  wish 
your  Majesty  not  to  lose,  because  I  would  not  'that  one 
hair  of  a  man's  head  should  be  against  you,  that  might  be 
for  you.f" 

But  the  generous  advocate  of  Ralegh  was,  even  at  this 
very  time,  himself  endangered  by  the  arts  of  Cecil,  on 
whose  friendship  he  placed  a  fallacious  reliance,  the  good 
offices  of  the  secretary  not  being  extended  to  save  him 
from  fifteen  years  of  imprisonment  in  the  Tower,  and  a 

*  Birch's  Memoirs  of  P.  Henry.     Ed.   1750.  p.  25. 

|  Miss  Aikin's  Memoirs  of  James  I.,  vol.  i.  p.  56.,  from  the  Hatfield 
Collection  ;  and  Wilson's  Life  of  King  James,  p.  720. 


32  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

fine  of  30,00(M.,  upon  a  slight  suspicion  of  being  concerned 
in  the  gunpowder  plot.*  At  the  accession  of  James,  the 
Earl  was  viewed  by  Cecil  as  favoring  Ralegh,  and  was 
consequently  the  subject  of  the  minister's  base  and  hidden 
arts  to  injure  him  in  the  estimation  of  the  King,  and  tc 
effect  his  ruin. 

The  character  of  Cecil  appeared,  on  a  cursory  view,  lut 
indifferently  calculated  to  insure  the  favor  of  the  new 
king;  and  every  ungenerous  method  which  artifice  could 
supply  was  therefore  considered  doubly  essential,  in  order 
to  retain  the  situations  in  the  state  which  the  secretary 
now  held.  In  estimating  the  chances  which  a  candidate 
for  royal  approval  might  possess,  it  was  necessary  in  this 
reign  to  place  the  advantages  of  person  first,  from  the  im- 
portance assigned  o  them  by  James.  The  childish  par- 
tiality which  this  monarch  afterwards  bestowed  upon  Car 
and  on  Villars,  could  never  therefore  be  lavished  upon 
Cecil,  who  was  not  only  inferior  to  those  noblemen  in  ex- 
ternal attractions,  but  below  the  common  standard  of  per- 
sonal favor,  being  deformed,  though  of  a  pleasing  counte- 
nance. But  Cecil,  although  called  by  one  of  his  contem- 
poraries "  Robert  the  Devil,"  was  described  by  another  as 
"  carrying  on  his  little  crooked  body  a  head-piece  of  much 
content,"  possessing  a  quick  and  lively  eye,  a  placid  coun- 
tenance, and,  what  was  still  better,  displaying  in  his 
familiar  conversation  those  charms  of  manner  and  deport- 
ment which  bespeak  a  character  apparently  sincere  and 
open,  mild  and  yet  decided.  He  had  the  gift  of  oratory  ; 
and  though  esteemed  by  Ralegh  an  indifferent  writer,  his 
letters  are  easy,  animated,  and  descriptive.  But  whilst 
endowed  with  talents  which  counterbalanced  his  defects 
of  person,  the  opinions  of  Cecil,  both  in  politics  and  reli- 
gion, were,  on  the  accession  of  James,  opposed  to  the 
favorite  notions  of  the  sovereign.  He  had  a  strong  bias 
to  the  doctrines  of  the  Puritans,  whom  James  detested  ;  and 
was  an  enemy  to  the  Spanish  ascendency,  which  James 
secretly  favored,  and  afterwards  openly  countenanced. 
But  the  able  minister  well  knew  how  to  keep  these  obnox- 
ious principles  of  action  in  apparent  subordination,  whilst 
he  recommended  himself  to  the  confidence  of  James  by 
the  most  submissive  demeanor,  by  his  alacrity  in  proclaim- 

*  Camden's  Annals  of  James,  p.  642. 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  133 

mg  the  King's  title  immediately  upon  the  death  of  Eliza- 
beth, and  still  more,  as  their  intercourse  proceeded,  by  his 
address  in  discovering  plots,  of  which  the  king  sent  him 
what  he  considered  as  the  first  surmise  and  intelligence. 
On  this  account  the  king  honored  him  with  the  name  of 
"  Little  Beagle  ;*"  an  appellation  far  more  precious,  in  the 
opinion  of  James,  than  that  of  warrior  or  conqueror.f  An 
assiduous  man  of  business,  Cecil  had  little  time  or  inclina- 
tion for  those  literary  attainments,  which,  however  James 
might  extol,  he  could  not  view  in  Ralegh  without  a  dread 
of  being  surpassed.  In  his  offices  of  state,  Cecil  merited 
however  the  regard  of  his  master  by  a  faithful  and  diligent 
service ;  and  was,  as  a  contemporary  writer  expresses  it, 
as  good  a  minister  as  James  would  let  him  be  ;"  securing 
at  the  same  time  his  own  interests.  Thus,  whilst  the 
Scots  who  accompanied  James  to  England  were  said  to 
have  had  the  "  shell"  of  all  public  honors  and  emolu- 
ments, Cecil  is  supposed  to  have  retained  the  "  kernel"  to 
himself. 

It  is  difficult  to  enter  into  the  motives  which  actuated  this 
wary  and  disingenuous  courtier  in  his  immediate  desertion 
of  Ralegh,  and  in  his  intrigues  to  effect  the  ruin  of  his  for- 
mer friend.  Cecil  had,  on  a  former  occasion,  excused  Ra- 
legh to  Elizabeth  in  terms  creditable  to  his  own  candor  and 
discrimination.}  Yet  it  appears  that  the  whole  machinery 
of  court  cabals  and  artifice  was  set  into  play  immediately 
after  the  death  of  the  Queen,  and  that  the  favorable  recep- 
tion of  Cecil  with  the  King,  and  the  disgrace  of  Ralegh, 
were  almost  coeval.  The  effect  of  these  operations  was 
not  at  first  perceived  by  their  unfortunate  object :  he  was 
received,  and  for  some  weeks  treated  graciously  by  the 
King,  whom  he  met  at  Theobald's.  Within  this  princely 
mansion,  the  residence  of  Cecil,  the  officers  of  state  and  the 
privy  council  had  also  been  awaiting,  with  impatient  curi- 
osity, to  behold  the  Monarch  in  whose  favor  the  hopes  of 
the  ambitious  were  now  centered^  ;  and  here,  so  magnifi- 
cent an  entertainment  was  prepared  for  the  new  sovereign, 

♦Grainger's  Biog. — Art.  Cecil. 

t  See  Sir  William  Coke's  Apology,  in  Collectanea  Curiosa,  by  Gutch. 

X  See  Appendix  C.  Letter  transmitted  from  the  State  Paper  Office  in 
which  Cecil's  good  wishes  towards  Ralegh  at  that  time  were  obviously 
expressed. 

f  Oldys,  p.  148. 

M 


134  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

that  Lord  Bacon  declares  that  to  attempt  to  describe  it 
were  to  imitate  "  geographers,  that  set  a  little  round  O  for 
a  mighty  province  .*"  To  the  splendor  of  the  scene,  James 
added  the  joys  which  a  lavish  extension  of  honors  and 
privileges  is  supposed  to  impart.  He  made,  indeed,  shortly 
after  his  accession,  no  fewer  than  twenty-eight  knights ;  so 
that  a  contemporary  writer  sarcastically  observes,  "crea- 
tions brake  in  upon  us  like  a  deluge ;  knights  swarmed  in 
every  corner ;  the  sword  ranged  about ;  men  bowed  in  obe- 
dience to  it,  more  in  peace  than  in  war.f"  In  the  midst  of 
this  overflowing  prosperity  to  others,  Ralegh  perhaps  per- 
ceived, with  some  anxiety,  the  slight  probability  of  even 
moderate  success  as  a  courtier,  which  appeared  to  await 
him  with  the  singular  monarch  whom  he  now  for  the  first 
time  beheld. 

The  qualities  which  Sir  Walter  Ralegh  hat  evinced, 
were  calculated  to  insure  the  approbation  of  an  enijghtened 
monarch  like  Elizabeth,  conscious  of  her  own  power,  con- 
fident of  the  affections  of  her  people,  and  possessed  of  ad  - 
dress  and  discrimination,  which  enabled  her  to  employ  wit? 
advantage  in  her  subjects  that  busy  ambition,  and  those  ac- 
tive talents  which  might,  under  a  feebler  government,  be- 
come derogatory,  and  even  dangerous  to  the  royal  dignity. 
But  James,  who  has  been  wittily  said  to  "  have  been  the 
wisest  fool  in  Christendom,:);"  saw,  in  the  splendid  military 
talents  of  Ralegh,  nothing  but  a  fearful  source  of  disturb- 
ance to  that  peaceful  tenor  of  life,  for  the  inclination  to 
which  this  king  has  been  unduly  satirized ;  whilst  in  the 
acknowledged  fame  of  Ralegh's  genius,  he  dreaded  an 
eclipse  of  that  reputation  for  learning  which  the  monarch 
had  endeavored  to  send  before  him,  and  which  he  desired 
to  shine  unrivalled  in  the  English  Court,  and  out  of  an  im- 
pertinent emulation,  according  to  Osborne,  "  was  thought 
to  affect  Sir  Walter  Ralegh  the  less  because  of  the  great 
repute  which  followed  him  for  his  excellent  pen.  5" 

A  single  interview  was  almost  decisive  of  Ralegh's  fate. 
Unluckily  for  the  amusement  of  succeeding  generations, 
there  remains  no  memorial  of  the  impression  which  the  ap- 
pearance and  behavior  of  the  Scottish  monarch  conveyed 
to  the  acute  mind  of  the  accomplished  courtier  to  whom 

*  Bacon's  Letters.  f  Wilson's  Life  of  Janxs  I.  p.  664. 

J  Weldon  p.  173.  §  Osborne,  p.  431. 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  135 

James,  for  the  first  time,  stood  revealed  in  all  his  native  pe- 
culiarity. His  sentiments  on  the  occasion  may  be  easily  con- 
jectured. A  strange  contrast  was  indeed  presented  to  the 
majestic  and  fearless  Elizabeth,  in  her  timid,  undignified, 
and  ill-favored  successor.  In  his  mode  of  speech,  a  circum- 
stance which  perhaps  even  more  than  personal  appearance 
first  engages  the  attention  of  an  observer,  James  retained 
in  its  fullest  and  harshest  tones  that  northern  dialect,  in 
the  practice  of  which  he  had  been  nurtured  ;  and  to  this 
characteristic  was  added  a  difficulty  of  utterance  which 
rendered  those  uncourtly  accents  still  more  displeasing 
from  the  natural  defect  of  the  tongue  being  too  large  for 
the  mouth.  In  tae  management  of  this  really  unruly  mem- 
ber, he  possessed  but  little  discretion ;  and,  contrary  to  the 
habits  of  most  men  in  important  stations,  was,  as  Lord  Bacon 
describes  him,  "  in  speech  of  business  short,  in  speech  of 
discourse  large."  The  same  author  sums  up  the  general 
deportment  of  James,  when  he  declares  him  to  be  a  prince, 
"  the  furthest  from  vain-glory  that  may  be ;"  for  contrary 
to  the  custom  of  the  monarchs  of  the  Tudor  line,  this  King, 
although  estimating  the  adornments  of  dress  to  an  absurd 
extent  in  others,  in  his  own  person  despised  or  rather  dread- 
ed the  expenditure  of  costly  attire,  retained  the  same 
fashions,  and  wore  his  clothes  even  to  rags.* 

Thus  his  natural  or  habitual  awkwardness,  a  circular 
walk,  and  a  custom  or  necessity  of  supporting  himself  upon 
the  shoulders  of  others,  appeared  in  undisguised  ungainli- 
ness  to  the  amused  and  critical  courtiers,  who,  if  we  may 
judge  by  the  accounts  of  contemporary  writers,  were  not 
unsparing  of  their  remarks.  But  that  which  most  offended 
the  politeness  of  the  proud  nobility,  was  a  practice  in  which 
the  king  indulged  of  rolling  his  large  eyes  after  every 
stranger,  so  that  many  persons  could  not  withstand  the  im- 
pulse of  shame  and  indignation,  and  left  his  presence  ab- 
ruptly, and  in  a  state  of  irritation.! 

Such  was  the  exterior  of  King  James  the  First,  and  an 
intimate  acquaintance  with  the  dispositions  of  this  monarch 

*  When  presented  by  some  person  with  roses  for  his  shoes,  he  asked  if 
they  meant  to  make  him  a  ruff-footed  dove  ?  One  yard  of  sixpenny  riband 
served  that  turn.    Weldon,  p.  100. 

t  It  is  said  by  that  historical  gossip,  Aubrey,  that  James's  first  address 
to  Ralegh  was  couched  in  these  elegant  terms,  "  On  my  soul,  mon,  I  have 
teard  Rawly  of  thee."    See  Oxforded.  of  Ralegh's  Works,  I.  p.  740. 


^36  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

confirmed  the  notion  of  eccentricity  which  his  appearance 
denoted.  His  character  was  a  continuity  of  contradictions ; 
and  to  his  bad  government,  and  erroneous  principles  of  ac- 
tion, may  be  referred  many  of  the  evils  which  ensued  in 
the  reign  of  his  son.*  Unable,  from  natural  candor,  to  fal- 
sify or  even  to  disguise  his  sentiments  in  common  discourse, 
James  could  break  the  faith  he  had  pledged  to  his  parlia- 
ments almost  without  a  pang ;  and  whilst  he  showed  the 
deepest  contrition,  remembering,  even  with  tears,  his  oc- 
casional lapses  into  intoxication  at  Buckingham's  jovial 
suppers,f  could  sacrifice  the  life  of  an  eminent  subject 
almost  without  a  shadow  of  reluctance.  Assuming  to  him- 
self the  character  of  Rex  Pacificus,  but  inclined  to  peace 
more  from  fear  than  for  conscience'  sake,  James  appears  to 
deserve  little  credit  for  cherishing  the  comforts,  and  pro- 
tecting the  safety  of  his  subjects,  if  his  patronage  of  the 
murderer  of  Overbury  be  considered ;  and  lightly  are  the 
mercies  of  a  monarch  to  be  prized,  when  his  delight  in  dis- 
covering plots  and  treasons  was  almost  proverbial ;  so  that 
on  the  blood  being  drawn  from  his  finger  by  the  carver  at 
dinner,  he  was  ironically  said  to  have  cried  out  treason,  and 
his  word  in  that  respect  was  thought  to  be  no  slander. f 
Thus  agitated  perpetually  by  frivolous  concerns,  and  often 
groundless  fears,  and  regardless  of  the  great  interests  and 
of  the  real  dangers  of  his  country,  the  mind  of  James  is 
justly  described  to  have  been  a  "  magazine  for  trifles,"  in 
which  there  was  little  space  for  the  deposit  of  graver  and 
more  valuable  materials ;  and,  in  the  total  absence  of  that 
quick  perception  of  propriety  which  experience  in  the  ways 
of  mankind  cannot  always  teach,  and  "  which  thirty-five 
years  of  what  he  called  king's  craft  had  not  taught  him,§" 
the  childish  points  of  this  monarch's  character  were  con- 
tinually allowed  to  escape  from  behind  the  veil  with  which 
ceremony  and  royal  dignity  are  calculated  to  conceal  the 
peculiarities  of  native  character. 

Addicted  to  changing  his  ministers,  and  fond  of  the  little 
intrigues  incident  to  such  occasions,  James  was  now  dis- 
posed to  remain  firm  to  Cecil  from  the  advice  which  that 
eminent  person  gave  to  make  peace  with  Spain.  ||  The 
eame  reasons  actuated  him  also  to  pursue  a  very  different 

*  Osborne,  p.  472.  f  Weldon,  p.  1G7.  J  Oldys,  p.  148. 

$  Aikin.  U  Lodge's  Illustrations,  vol.  iii.  p.  181 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  137 

course  with  Ralegh,  who  had  lately  written  a  memorial  in 
order  to  point  out  the  disadvantages  of  a  treaty  with  that 
country*  It  was,  in  short,  scarcely  possible  for  any  cir- 
cumstances to  be  combined  under  an  aspect  more  unpropi- 
tious  to  Ralegh,  than  those  in  which  James  ascended  the 
throne.  Surrounded  by  Scotsmen,  whom  he  soon  found 
reason  to  designate  "  locusts,"  James  displayed  so  glaring 
and  gross  a  partiality  to  the  interests  of  the  country  which 
he  had  left,  that  he  began  to  be  considered  as  no  better  than 
a  "  king-in-lawf"  to  his  new  possessions  on  the  southern 
side  of  the  Tweed.  Hence  the  fame  of  Ralegh's  exploits, 
the  hope  of  his  future  services,  the  honor  resulting  to  this 
country  from  the  spirit  of  enterprise  which  he  had  pro- 
moted, all  availed  but  little  in  the  sight  of  a  prince  who 
regarded  these  meritorious  traits  with  the  cold  indifference 
of  a  stranger.  But  had  the  King  been  more  alive  to  the 
rare  qualities  of  Ralegh's  character,  or  more  sensible  of 
the  benefits  of  his  example,  one  circumstance  alone  would 
have  obliterated  the  result  of  all  these  considerations. 
This  was  the  suggestion  made  by  Ralegh,  in  conjunction 
with  the  Lord  Cobham,  Sir  John  Fortescue,  and  others,  that 
James  should,  before  his  coronation,  be  obliged  to  subscribe 
to  certain  articles,  and  that  the  number  of  his  countrymen 
in  situations  here  should  be  restrained  within  due  bounds. f 
Regardless,  or  unconscious  of  the  state  of  the  King's 
private  sentiments,  and  of  the  fact  that  all  the  other  cour- 
tiers had  been  silenced  on  the  same  subject,  either  by  a 
knowledge  of  the  avowed  wishes  of  the  King,  or  by  the 
potency  of  Spanish  gold,  Ralegh,  at  his  first  audience  with 
a  monarch,  who  wore  his  doublets  quilted  for  fear,  and, 
when  he  dubbed  a  knight,  averted  his  head  from  the 
weapon  which  denoted  the  honor,  addressed  to  him  a  coun- 
sel which  might  have  shaken  a  far  more  courageous  spirit 
than  that  of  James.  "  I  offered  his  Majesty,"  says  he,  in 
the  work  entitled  his  Remains,  "  at  my  uncle  Carew's,  to 
carry  two  thousand  men  to  invade  the  Spanish  without  the 
King's  charge. f"  This  rash,  but  manly  and  disinterested 
offer,  at  once  consigned  the  whole  ascendency  in  royal  fa- 
vor to  Cecil,  and  to  the  Spanish  party.  The  presents  re- 
ceived from  Ralegh  in  Scotland,  were,  indeed,  acknow- 

*  Birch,  vol.  i.  p.  48.  t  Osborne's  Trad.  Mem.  p.  472. 

I  Oldys,  p.  148.  §  Remains,  12mo.    1726. 

M2 


138  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

ledged  by  the  King ;  but  that  act  of  grace  was  the  last 
ever  accorded  to  him,  and  Cecil,  who  well  knew  that  force 
alone  could  oblige  Ralegh  to  succumb  to  his  greater  in- 
fluence, triumphed  undisturbed  and  secure.  The  source 
of  Cecil's  apprehensions,  the  object  of  James's  dislike,  and 
the  victim  of  the  Spanish  faction,  a  pretext  was  now  only 
wanting  to  complete  the  ruin  for  which  machinations  were 
already  in  progress. 

An  act  of  oppression,  such  as  would,  in  the  present  da$ 
make  the  country  ring  with  clamor,  soon  intimated  to  Ra- 
legh the  perilous  situation  in  which  he  stood.  One  source 
of  James's  jealousy  of  Ralegh  originated  in  his  guardian- 
ship of  a  female  descendant  of  the  Plantagenets,  an  heiress 
named  Basset,  who  was  thought  by  some  persons  to  have 
a  claim  to  the  crown  of  England,  and  who  had  the  more 
substantial  possession  of  an  estate  worth  three  thousand  a 
year.*  This  young  person  was  betrothed  to  Walter  Ra- 
legh, the  eldest  son  of  Sir  Walter,  a  brave  young  man, 
who  was  afterwards  killed  in  the  expedition  to  Guiana. 
Notwithstanding  this  contract,  James,  of  whom  it  has  been 
falsely  said  that  he  never  committed  but  one  act  of  tyranny, 
severed  the  affianced  lady  from  the  family  among  whom 
she  had  been  fostered,  and  obliged  her  to  marry  Henry 
Howard,  who  afterwards  died.  She  then  became  the  wife 
of  the  Earl  of  Newcastle ;  and  this  nobleman  entertained 
so  strong  a  sense  of  the  injustice  of  her  separation  from 
Walter  Ralegh,  that  he  was  heard  to  say,  that  had  that 
unfortunate  young  man  been  alive,  he  would  not  have  mar- 
ried his  countess,  for  "  he  took  her,  before  God,  to  be  young 
Ralegh's  wife,  whilst  they  were  yet  children."  Nor  did  this 
unjust  proceeding  end  here :  Sir  Robert  Basset,  a  relative 
of  the  heiress,  was  obliged  to  fly  the  country  to  save  his 
life,  probably  for  some  opposition  to  this  transaction :  his 
estate  was  much  reduced,  no  fewer  than  thirty  manors 
being  sold  by  the  King's  orders,  f 

Fresh  insults  convinced  the  unfortunate  Ralegh  that  his 
affairs  at  court  were  desperate.  Whilst  forbidden  himself 
to  enter  the  royal  presence,  he  had  the  mortification  of 
hearing  that  the  Earl  of  Southampton,  who  was  concerned 
in  the  conspiracy  of  Essex,  and  "  long  covered  with  the 

*  Oldys,  149. 

t  Observations  on  Sanderson's  History  of  Mary  Queen  of  Scots  and 
ner  son  James  the  Sixth,  4to.  1656.  p.  12. 


LIFE  OP  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  139 

ashes  of  his  ruin,"*  had  been  sent  for  from  the  Tower,  and 
graciously  received.  Irritated  by  these  events,  and  inca- 
pable of  sustaining  with  temper  the  reverses  presented  to 
him,  Ralegh,  enraged  against  Cecil  and  his  party,  gave,  by 
his  rash  conduct,  a  full  effect  to  the  snares  prepared  for 
him  by  his  enemies.  Had  he,  with  more  subtlety  or  with 
more  prudence,  bent  beneath  the  storm,  or  awaited  its  sub- 
siding in  seclusion  and  submission,  his  liberty  might  have 
been  spared  to  him,  and,  perhaps,  his  fortunes  retrieved. 
He  adopted,  however,  a  different  course,  and  employing 
his  powerful  talents  in  composing  a  justification  of  his  con- 
duct, addressed  to  King  James  a  memorial,  in  which  he 
sought  to  vindicate  himself  from  the  death  of  Essex,  and 
to  throw  the  blame  of  that  affair  upon  Cecil.  Not  contented 
with  this  defence,  he  attacked  the  minister  upon  the  score 
of  Queen  Mary's  execution,  which  he  attributed  wholly  to 
the  enmity  of  the  Cecils,  and  not  to  the  wishes  of  Eliza- 
beth ;  conchiding  this  document  by  an  appeal  to  Davison, 
the  secretary,  who  was  still  alive,  and  in  prison.f  He  was 
removed  from  his  situation  as  captain  of  the  guard,  and 
that  office  conferred  upon  Sir  Thomas  Erskine,  one  of  the 
King's  countrymen  and  favorites.  He  was  apprized  that 
James  disliked  his  continuance  in  his  office  of  wines  ;  and 
he  found  that  his  services  at  court  were  regarded  as  un- 
welcome and  intrusive.^  No  impression  upon  the  mind  of 
James  was  effected  by  his  representations  against  Cecil, 
and  the  minister  was  rendered  implacable.  That  the  con- 
duct of  the  King  towards  Ralegh  was  actuated  by  some 
fatal  influence  rather  than  by  the  impulse  of  his  own  un- 
biassed feelings,  is,  however,  obvious;  for  when  asked, 
What  fault  he  found  in  Ralegh  ?  the  embarrassed  royal 
pedagogue  could  only  reply,  that  he  had  spoken  irrever- 
ently of  Henry  VIII. ;  a  reason  which,  if  available  as  an 
excuse,  must  have  been  called  up  at  the  moment,  since  no 
one  had  declaimed  in  harsher  terms  against  that  monarch 
than  James  himself.  5  The  fact  is,  that  James,  although 
secretly  afraid  of  Ralegh,  and  disliking  his  opinions,  left 
this  and  all  other  points  of  policy  to  the  sole  guidance  of 

*  Wilson,  642. 

t  The  only  share  which  Ralegh  had  in  the  condemnation  of  Mary,  waa 
his  serving  in  the  parliament  which  met  before  that  event. — Camden. 
%  Oldys,  151.  §  Osborne,  edit.  1682.  p.  431. 


140  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGK. 

those  ministers  who  had  served  under  his  able  and  expe- 
rienced predecessor ;  and  "  dedicated,"  as  Osborne  relates, 
"  rainy  weather  to  his  standish,  and  fair  to  his  hounds,  or 
any  thing  else  that  owned  the  voice  of  pleasure,  which 
was  through  the  whole  series  of  his  government  more  ac- 
ceptable than  any  profit  or  conveniency  [that]  might  ac- 
crue to  his  people.*1'  So  great,  indeed,  was  the  ascen- 
dancy which  Cecil  retained  over  him,  that  he  was  gene- 
rally thought  to  have  made  a  private  compact  with  Hume, 
Earl  of  Dunbar,  and  afterwards  Chancellor  of  the  Exche- 
quer, to  divide  the  favor  of  the  King  between  themf ;  thus 
cementing  interests  which,  if  divided,  might  have  been 
comparatively  powerless. 

This  brief  detail  of  the  various  circumstances  which  at- 
tended the  accession  of  James,  is  necessary  to  show  how 
far  domestic  affairs  affected  the  welfare  and  security  of  Ra 
legh's  existence ;  the  situation  of  England  with  respect  co 
foreign  states  had  also  a  considerable  influence  upon  the 
destiny  of  this  great  but  unfortunate  individual. 

James  was  at  this  time  solicited  with  proposals  of  peace 
by  all  the  principal  potentates  of  Europe.  Among  the  dif- 
ferent ambassadors  who  visited  this  country,  none,  however, 
seemed  so  likely  to  secure  the  confidence  of  the  public 
mind,  as  Rosni,  afterwards  Due  de  Sully.  This  celebrated 
friend  and  minister  of  Henry  IV.  came  to  England  ex- 
pressly to  frustrate  a  scheme  for  a  general  peace,  at  that 
time  diligently  sought  by  Count  D'Aremberg,  the  Austrian 
ambassador.  On  his  arrival  in  England,  the  French  am- 
bassador found  James  but  little  disposed  to  favor  the  propo- 
sals of  Henry  IV.  for  the  continuance  of  the  amity  which 
had  subsisted  between  the  King  of  France  and  Elizabeth. 
All  grateful  recollections  of  that  princess,  every  respectful 
tribute  to  her  memory,  were  almost  prohibited  in  the  court 
of  her  successor ;  and  when  Rosni  intimated  to  some  of  the 
English,  that  it  was  his  intention  to  appear  before  James 
with  himself  and  his  whole  suite  in  mourning,  he  was 
earnestly  admonished  not,  by  such  a  form,  which  had  been 
strictly  enjoined  him  by  Henry,  to  incur  James's  certain 
displeasure.;); 

The  divisions  of  the  English  court,  the  weakness  of  its 

*  Hume.  t  Lodge's  Illustrations,  iii.  181. 

|  Sully's  Memoirs,  vol.  i.  p.  145. 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  141 

ruler,  the  overwhelming  influence  of  the  Scots,  and  the 
deep  duplicity  of  Cecil,  whom  he  describes  as  "all  myste- 
ry," were  soon  apparent  to  the  discernment  and  experience 
of  Sully,  already  ultimately  acquainted  with  the  character 
of  the  English  nation.  Suspicion,  jealousy,  private  and 
even  public  discontents,  pervaded  the  higher  classes  of  the 
community,  and  divided  the  responsible  advisers  of  the 
King  into  factions.  Below  the  principal  parties  was  a 
subordinate  cabal,  composed  of  those  who  mingled  in  af- 
fairs without  having  any  connexion  with  the  members  of 
the  government,  and  who  were  scarcely  united  among 
themselves,  nor  according  in  any  one  point,  except  in  the 
resolution  not  to  join  with  any  other  faction.  These  were 
composed  entirely  of  Englishmen ;  they  breathed  a  spirit 
of  sedition,*  and  were  ready,  according  to  the  opinion  of 
Sully,  "  to  attempt  any  thing  in  favor  of  novelties,  even  if 
it  were  against  the  king  himself,  f"  At  the  head  of  this 
combination  were  the  earls  of  Northumberland,  Southamp- 
ton, and  Cumberland,  the  Lord  Cobham,  Sir  Walter  Ra- 
legh, Sir  Grifhn  Markham,  and  many  others.J  It  may  be 
readily  conceived  how  the  contending  interests  of  these 
two  parties,  the  vacillations  of  James,  and  the  skilful  ma- 
noeuvres of  Cecil,  who  veered  about  with  each  prevailing 
faction,  afforded  but  too  seductive  an  occasion  for  the  de- 
signing, the  discontented,  or  the  rash,  to  form  schemes  for 
the  destruction  of  a  government,  of  which  even  the  earli- 
est prognostications  were  those  of  error  and  of  weakness. 

In  this  state  of  affairs,  various  circumstances  contributed 
to  make  the  scale  of  James's  inclinations  preponderate  in 
favor  of  the  Spanish  interests,  and  consequently  against 
the  object  of  Rosni's  mission.  He  bore,  in  the  first  place, 
no  great  affection  towards  Henry  the  Fourth,  who  had 
called  him  in  derision,  "  Captain  of  arts,  and  Clerk  of 
arms,"  a  too  apt  designation,  of  which  James  had  been  ma- 
liciously apprized.  §  He  was  indolent  to  excess,  and  was 
but  too  happy  to  resign  the  burden  of  thinking  about  state 
matters  to  Cecil,  who  had  now  so  far  relaxed  from  his  an- 
tipathy to  Spain,  as  to  consider  that  kingdom  and  France 
as  both  equally  dangerous;  above  all,  the  King  was  in- 
timidated, rather  than  influenced,  by  his  queen,  Anne  of 
Denmark,  over  whom  he  sought  vainly  to  assume  an  au- 

*  Sully,  131.  tlb'd.  J  Ibid.  131.  §  Ibid. 


142  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALECII. 

thority  which  had  the  mere  semblance  of  conjugal  com- 
mand, and  which  that  bold,  assuming,  and  popular  princess 
set  at  defiance  with  an  undaunted  assurance.  Anne  was 
wholly  devoted  to  the  Spanish  alliance,  and  she  had  sedu- 
h  usly  endeavored  to  inspire  the  young  prince  Henry,  the 
h jir-apparent,  with  similar  sentiments;  but  that  well-judg- 
ing and  single-hearted  youth  could  never  be  brought  to 
coincide  with  his  mother  in  her  opinions  on  this  subject, 
and  was  the  more  reluctant  to  join  in  her  schemes  from 
his  enthusiastic  admiration  for  the  King  of  France,  whom 
he  proposed  to  make  his  model.*  These  prepossessions  on 
the  part  of  the  youthful  heir-apparent,  inclined  him  after- 
wards to  listen  to  the  suggestions  of  Ralegh,  and  were, 
probably,  the  first  bond  of  that  union  which  subsequently 
subsisted  between  these  two  individuals. 

Rosni,  on  establishing  himself  in  London,  found  there, 
as  ambassadors,  the  Count  D'Aremberg,  from  the  Arch- 
duke of  Austria,  Prince  Henry  of  Nassau,  and  other  depu- 
ties from  the  States  General.  These  ambassadors  were 
soon  plunged  into  the  mysterious  and  perplexing  business 
of  negotiations,  in  which  the  irresolution  and  indifference 
of  James  were,  according  to  the  representations  of  the  am 
bassador,  only  exceeded  by  his  dissimulation.  His  great 
wit  consisted  in  inspiring  all  who  had  audience  of  him 
with  hopes,  but  fulfilling  none  of  his  promises ;  a  line  of 
conduct  which  had,  as  he  affirmed,  procured  him  security 
when  king  of  Scotland.!  It  has  been  well  remarked,  that 
the  attention  of  this  monarch  had  been  too  long  centered 
in  the  anxieties  for  self-preservation  to  leave  much  matter 
within  him  for  generous  exertion,  f 

All  these  conflicting  circumstances  were  of  vital,  and, 
as  they  proved,  of  fatal  importance  to  Ralegh.  Those  who 
admired  his  talents,  and  wished  well  to  one  who  was  so 
calculated  to  advance  the  credit  of  his  country,  viewed 
with  regret  the  dangers  by  which  he  was  threatened  at 
this  crisis.  Even  Sir  John  Harrington,  now  no  longer  the 
light-hearted  and  sportive  courtier,  but  the  mournful  ob- 
server of  this  world's  inconstancy,  §  began  to  fear  for  Ra- 
legh, and  to  whisper  strange  plots  of  which  he  .had  private 
intimations.     By  this  strange  compound  of  sentiment  and 

*  Sully,  135.  f  Ibid.  p.  143. 

I  Aikin's  James  I  vol.  i.  p.  59.  §  Nugs,  181.  343. 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  143 

numor,  it  was  plainly  seen,  and  good-naturedly  lamented, 
that  Raleeh  was  obnoxious  to  all  factions.     "  The  Spaa  - 
Kp  "  savlhe  in  a  letter  to  Dr.  Still,  "  beare  no  good  wyll 
fRalSefh;handia  doubt  if  some  of  ^f/^Z 
muche  better  affect  one  towarde  hym:   God  deiyver  me 
ffSwdm    I  have  spoken  with  Carewe  concern- 
nJe  the  matt/rl  he  thynketh  ill  of  certain* >  peop le  whome 
I  knowe,  and  vvisheth  he  coud  game  knowledge  and  fur 
her  inspection  hereof.     Cecil  doth  beare _no ^bve  to  Ra- 
leo-he  as  vou  well  understate  m  the  matter  ot  fcssex.     l 
wfs  not  he  that  (Ralegh)  hath  evyll  design  m  pointe  of 
Se  or  relygiom  As  he  hath  ofte  fcoursedeto  me  wyto 
moch  learnynge,  wysdom,  and  freedom,  J   ^owe  he  do  h e 
somewhat  dyffer   in   opynyon  from   some   others.    but .  1 
thmke  also  his  hearte  is  we  le   fixe d  in  every  hones to 
thvno-e    as  farre  as  I  can  looke  mto  hym.     He  seemetn 
wSousfie  fitted,  bothe  by  art  and  nature^  to  «rve  the 
state,  especiallie  as  he  is  versede  m  foreign  matters    his 
skvll  therein  bein-  alwaies  estimable  and  P^eworthie 
rW   good  trothe,  I  pitie  his  state,  and  doubte  the 
dvce  not  fairely  thrown,  if  his  lyfe  be  the  losing  stake    but 
hereof  enowe,   as   it  becomethe    not   a   poore    countrye 
Ste  to  look  from  the   plow-handle  into   policie  and 
prTvac  e  *"     Such  were  some  of  the  forebodings  of  a  spec 
K  concerning  the  termination  of  ^gh^anqui^, 
and  the  perils  which  threatened  his  reputation,  and  sucn 
h* ^tnbu'te  of  weU-gxounded  encomium  ^d  to  bna  by  «je 
who  knew  well  how  to  satirize  his  failings;  and .whose 
preseS  SvoT  with  King  James  might  have  made  that  ap- 
pear for  his  own  peculiar  interests,  the  wiser  part. 
P  I   was  at  this  juncture  that  a  combination  was formed, 
so  singular  in  its  nature,  and  so  mysterious  m  its  in enUon 
that  its  operations  have  proverbially  been  called  a     riddle 
of  state  "    Among  the  active,  and  enthusiastic,  and  malig- 
nant spirits  who°were  thus  mingled  together  in  stomge 
association,  the  name  of  Ralegh    unhappily  for hm .ap- 
pears     The  imputed  object  of  the  plot  in  which  he  uas 
Sosed  to  have  engaged,  was  to  alter the  succession i  to 
the  crown;  the  means,  a  rash  and  wild  scheme  tor  sur. 
prima  the  king  and  his  court,  and  placing  the  next  heir 
apoTthe  throne.     The  object,  or  rather  the  victim,  of  this 


*  NugK,  343. 


144  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

conspiracy,  was  Arabella  Stuart,  one  of  the  most  hapless 
members  of  a  family  sufficiently  remarkable  for  misfor- 
tunes, and  distinguished  no  less  for  the  pride,  imprudence, 
and  accomplishments  which  characterized  the  house  of 
Stuart,  than  for  her  exalted  birth.  The  daughter  of  the 
Earl  of  Lenox,  uncle  to  the  king,  and  brother  of  the  ill- 
fated  Darnley,  the  Lady  Arabella  possessed,  according  to 
the  opinion  of  some,  an  advantage,  by  birth  within  the 
realm,  which  raised  her  claim  to  the  crown  to  an  equality 
with  that  of  James,  "  according  to  the  principle  of  law 
which  excludes  aliens  from  inheritance*"  to  the  crown. 
Her  pretensions  were  countenanced  by  the  pope,  Clement 
VIII.,  who  believed  her  to  be  secretly  of  the  Catholic  faith, 
and  projected  a  marriage  between  her  and  the  Cardinal 
Farnese,  brother  to  the  Duke  of  Parma.f  But  Arabella 
manifested  neither  any  decided  inclination  to  popery,  nor  a 
disposition,  by  an  alliance  with  foreign  states,  to  strengthen 
her  power  of  laying  claim  to  her  supposed  birthright.  Her 
chief  grounds  of  complaint  appear  to  have  been  the  loss 
of  her  patrimonial  property,  when  James,  after  the  death 
of  her  father,  revoked  the  infeoffinent  of  the  Earldom  of 
Lenox  to  her  prejudice,  an  act  which  had  incensed  Queen 
Elizabeth.J  She  was,  therefore,  in  a  great  measure,  de- 
pendent upon  James's  bounty,  and  was  obliged  from  pover- 
ty to  contract  debts,  which  the  king  in  one  instance  paid, 
besides  adding  to  her  yearly  allowance.  §  As  this  act  of 
liberality  took  place  after  the  conspiracy||  which  bore  her 
name  as  its  plea,  it  may  be  presumed,  as  indeed  it  was 
generally  allowed,  that  Arabella  was  innocent  of  any  par- 
ticipation in  that  wild  and  wicked  scheme.  That  she  was 
destined  to  fall  a  sacrifice  to  the  suspicions  raised  by  this 
affair,  was  too  well  proved ;  when,  following  the  dictates 
of  her  heart,  she,  some  years  afterwards,  married  her 
cousin,  Sir  William  Seymour,  and  endeavored  to  fly  with 
him  abroad.  He,  a  man  of  honor  and  of  valor,  who  after- 
wards proved  his  attachment  to  the  reigning  family  during 
the  period  of  the  rebellion, IT  was,  for  a  time,  confined  in 
thn  Tower.     But  the  misery  of  their  common  imprudence 

*  Hallara's  Constitutional  Hist,  of  England,  i.  p.  390. 

t  Hallam,  391 

J    Camden,  p.  461.,  also  Ellis's  Letters,  2d  Series,  vol.  in.  pp.  bl — b4. 

§  Winwood's  Memorials,  iii.  p.  117. 

I  Ibid.  IT  Clarendon. 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  145 

fell,  as  it  usually  does,  most  heavily  on  the  lady.  After 
years  of  confinement  and  of  hope  of  liberty  deferred,  she 
died  insane,  and  a  prisoner.* 

With  the  expressed  purpose  of  vindicating  the  rights 
of  Arabella,  but  with  the  secret  expectation  each  of  bene- 
fiting his  own  particular  views,  a  set  of  men  came  into 
co-operation  with  such  dissimilar  opinions  and  motives,  that 
posterity  has  scarcely  ceased  wondering  at  their  conjunc- 
tion. Amongst  these,  the  most  responsible  for  all  the  evils 
which  ensued  was  George  Brooke,  a  brother  of  the  Lord 
Cobham,  and,  doubtless,  the  incendiary  of  the  whole  plot. 
Whilst,  from  the  greater  importance  of  his  relative  in  rank 
and  wealth,  this  base  instrument  of  destruction  to  Ralegh 
has  been  overlooked  by  historians,  there  can  be  little  doubt 
but  that  by  his  cultivated,  and  vigorous,  but  unprincipled 
mind,  the  passions  of  Cobham  were  inflamed ;  and  the  lat- 
ter, who  "  was  but  one  remove  from  a  fooLf"  initiated  into 
the  mysteries  of  the  web  woven  by  others.  It  is  remark- 
able that  the  father  of  these  two  men  had  given  them  a 
lesson  in  treachery,  by  disclosing  the  particulars  of  the 
conspiracy  in  which  the  Duke  of  Norfolk  was  concerned, 
in  the  reign  of  Elizabeth.  This  nobleman  afterwards  be- 
came lord  chamberlain,  and  enjoyed  so  great  a  portion  of 
Elizabeth's  favor,  that  none  dared  to  utter  a  syllable  to  his 
prejudice,  unless  it  were  the  Earl  of  Essex ;  and  when  the 
office  of  baron  of  the  cinque  ports  became  vacant,  the 
chance  of  the  younger  Cobham  appeared  to  prevail  above 
that  of  all  other  competitors.]:  With  the  advantages  of 
high  birth  and  of  a  large  fortune,  Henry  Lord  Cobham 
was  as  much  despised  by  his  contemporaries,  even  in  his 
days  of  prosperity,  as  he  has  since  been  contemned  and 
detested  by  every  reader  of  history,  capable  of  feeling  vir- 
tuous indignation.  To  his  natural  imbecility  there  was  an 
accompaniment  not  very  unusual,  a  degree  of  stupid  and 
remorseless  assurance,  which  enabled  him  to  tell  a  lie  with 
as  much  ease  and  confidence  as  a  fact:§  hence  he  was 
generally  conceived  to  be  one  upon  whom  any  base  office 
might  be  thrust,  without  the  dread  of  any  relenting  emo- 
tions of  conscience  intervening  to  arrest  the  progress  ot 
his   iniquities.     If  one  odious   and   contemptible   feature 

*Winwood.  fWeldon. 

I  Brydge's  Extinct  Peerage,  261.  from  Rowland  White.       §  Weldon 


140  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

predominated  in  his  composition,  it  was  cowardice,  a  cir 
cumstance  of  which  his  designing  associates  knew  weD 
how  to  avail  themselves  when  occasion  offered.  It  was 
remarkable  that  a  person  so  valiant,  so  philosophical,  and 
so  discerning  as  Ralegh  should  have  associated  on  terms 
of  intimacy  with  a  character  so  unworthy  of  his  regard, 
and  so  debased  in  the  public  opinion,  as  that  of  Cobham  : 
for  even  during  the  lifetime  of  Essex,  Cobham  had  been 
despised,  and  it  was  the  custom  of  the  unfortunate  Deve- 
reux  to  call  him,  par  excellentiam,  "  the  sycophant,"  in 
the  very  presence  of  Elizabeth.*  Perhaps  their  common 
enmity  to  that  unfortunate  nobleman  first  engaged  Ralegh 
and  Cobham  in  a  friendship  which  was  as  fatal  to  the  for- 
mer, as  it  was  hollow  and  selfish  in  the  latter.  Perhaps  the 
influence  and  credit  attached  to  the  dominion  which  Ra- 
legh exercised  over  a  man  of  Cobham's  great  possessions, 
gratified  his  vanity,  or  increased  his  power.  It  is  scarcely 
possible  that  the  intimacy  which  subsisted  between  them 
could  have  arisen  in  Ralegh  from  motives  of  regard  or 
esteem  to  a  man  so  infinitely  his  inferior  in  every  thing 
but  the  adventitious  circumstances  of  birth  and  fortune : 
yet  the  familiar  letters  which  passed  between  themf  seem 
to  imply  a  degree  of  flattering  attention  on  the  part  of 
Ralegh,  which,  if  it  did  not  proceed  from  kindly  feelings, 
was  utterly  unworthy  of  a  man  of  his  intellect  and  estima- 
tion in  society.  Yet  it  is  but  too  true  that  their  intercourse, 
both  personally  and  by  correspondence,  was  of  the  most 
familiar  and  confidential  character ;  and  of  the  letters  pre- 
served of  Ralegh's  writing,  in  the  State  Paper  Office, 
those  to  Cobham  are  written  in  the  terms  of  intimate 
friendship  and  respect.  When  quitting  the  exaraination- 
room,  and  returning  as  a  prisoner  to  his  own  house,  Ra- 
legh received  a  message  from  Cobham  requesting  to  know 
what  had  transpired.  To  this  inquiry  Ralegh  sent  a  writ- 
ten answer,  telling  Cobham,  that  he  had  been  examined, 
and  that  "  he  had  cleared  him  of  all."  This  intelligence 
was  transmitted  by  Captain  Keymis,  one  of  Ralegh's  de- 
voted adherents,  who,  as  it  was  stated,  added  a  verbal  mes- 
sage, %'hich  was  donied  by  Ralegh,  importing  that  "  CoV 

»  Reliquiffi  W  moniae,  31. 

t  Copied  from  the  State  Paper  Office,  App.  B.  &  B 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  147 

lain  might  be  of  good  comfort,  for  that  one  witness  would 
lot  condemn  him." 

Contrasted  with  Cobham  in  every  mental  attribute,  but 
unhappily  associated  with  him  in  deeds  of  folly  and  of 
mischief,  was  the  young,  high-minded  Lord  Grey  de  Wil- 
ton, described  by  a  contemporary  writer*  as  "  a  very  hope- 
ful gentleman,  blasted  in  the  bud."  This  unfortunate 
nobleman,  the  last  male  heir  of  a  brave  and  illustrious 
line,  and  ancestor,  by  his  sister,  to  the  present  house  of 
Wilton,  had  been  engaged  in  the  service  of  his  country 
against  the  Armada,  and  had  borne  an  honorable  character, 
until  his  ill-advised  connexion  with  that  strange  enterprise, 
afterwards  vulgarly  known  by  "  Ralegh's  Plot,"  and,  by 
more  accurate  persons,  "  Watson's  conspiracy."  A  Puritan 
in  religion,  Grey  manifested  in  his  deportment  the  osten- 
tation of  piety  and  contempt  of  death,  usually  manifested 
by  persons  of  that  sect,  to  whom  it  appeared  in  many  in- 
stances far  more  easy  to  die  with  heroism,  than  to  live  in 
a  rational  state  of  peace,  and  whom  King  James  not  inaptly 
described  to  be  "  Protestants  flayed  out  of  their  wits." 
He  was  also  a  man  of  some  classical  acquirements,  which 
were  displayed  with  considerable  ostentation  in  his  letters, 
as  some  of  his  affecting  and  high-spirited  compositions  still 
preserved  sufficiently  show.f  With  these  differing  cha- 
racters were  joined  William  Watson,  and  William  Clerk, 
two  priests ;  Sir  Griffin  Markham,  Bartholomew  Brooksby, 
Anthony  Copley,  Sir  Edward  Parham,  and,  as  report  as- 
serted, Sir  Walter  Ralegh. 

Of  this  strange  medley  of  characters,  Grey  was  the 
most  infatuated  and  violent ;  Cobham  the  most  contempti- 
ble ;  and  his  brother  George  Brooke,  by  far  the  most  able, 
designing,  and  dangerous.  So  much  doubt  still  rests  upon 
the  share  which  Ralegh  had  in  this  treasonable  combina- 
tion of  Papists  with  Puritans,  that  he  ought  not  to  be  re- 
garded as  decidedly  forming  one  of  this  singular  group. 
Yet  historians  have  unhesitatingly  connected  his  name 
with  those  of  his  reputed  confederates,  and  have  seemed 
to  consider  his  guilt  as  implied,  without  the  necessity  of  a 
doubt.  Even  Osborne,  with  every  apparent  intention  to  be 
lenient,  states,  that  at  the  King's  "  assumption,  the  Lord 
Grey,  Lord  Cobham,  and  Sir  Walter  Ralegh,"  fell  into  a 

*  Weldon  Ostein,  Trad.  Mem.  J.  441.  fSee  Appendix,  F.  &  G. 


148  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

treason  similar  to  that  of  Essex,  and  equally  "  improbable  to 
hurt  others,  or  benefit  themselves :"  and  he  adds  this  re- 
mark,— "that  if  ever  folly  was  capable  of  the  title,  or 
pity  due  to  innocence,  theirs  might  claim  so  large  a  share, 
as  not  possible  to  be  too  highly  condemned,  or  too  slightly 
punished.*"  By  an  historian,  greatly  superior  to  Osborne,f 
the  participation  of  Ralegh  in  the  criminal  designs  of 
Grey,  Cobham,  and  the  other  members  of  the  party,  has 
been  mentioned  as  a  circumstance  to  be  accounted  for  by 
the  manifestations  of  James's  displeasure  towards  him, 
and  as  a  fact  not  requiring  investigation,  nor  challenging 
dispute.:); 

Mr.  Hume  has  justly  observed,  regarding  this  affair,  that 
"  every  thing  remains  still  mysterious,  and  history  can  give 
us  no  clue  to  unravel  it."  In  documents^  discovered  long 
since  Hume's  time,  no  fresh  disclosures,  which  might  es- 
tablish the  guilt  of  Ralegh,  are  to  be  found.  The  minds 
of  those  who  conversed  with  him  appear  to  have  been  in 
the  same  state  of  vague  suspicion  and  perplexity  as  our 
own ;  no  confession  was  elicited  from  him,  nor  any  con- 
nected evidence  of  co-operation  traced.  The  origin  of  the 
charges  against  him  originated  in  the  following  circum- 
stances, respecting  which  reports  prevailed,  without,  how- 
ever, any  certain  foundation. 

It  was  in  the  first  instance  supposed,  and  it  has  been 
repeatedly  asserted,  that  Ralegh  was  guilty  in  tampering 
with  the  foreign  ambassadors,  and  in  offering  them  the 
benefit  of  his  talents  and  influence  for  pecuniary  consider- 
ations. Rosni  is  said  first  to  have  received  these  unworthy 
proposals||  ;  but  no  such  statement  being  found  in  the  val- 
uable and  singularly  accurate  Memoirs  of  that  great  states- 
man, it  may  be  presumed  that  this  account  was  false ;  for 
Sully  would  scarcely  have  passed  over  such  an  occurrence, 
had  it  really  taken  place  The  sole  reference  which  he 
makes  to  any  communications  of  importance  offered  to  him 
by  Ralegh  and  Cobham,  relates  to  the  machinations  of 

*  Osborne,  Mem.  K.  J.  vii.  425. 

t  Osborne,  as  a  contemporary  writer,  has  had  considerable  stress  placed 
upon  his  statements.  He  was  born  in  1589,  and  must  have  been  fifteen 
years  old  at  the  time  of  Watson's  conspiracy.  His  dislike  to  James  and 
to  the  Stuarts  is  well  known,  and  it  was  manifested  by  the  share  whici 
le  took  in  the  civil  wars. 

t  Wilson,  0C2.  §  Those  in  the  State  Paper  Office.  ||  Hume. 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  149 

Spain  to  detach  England  from  France  and  the  Low  Coun- 
tries; and,  on  this  subject,  the  earl  of  Northumberland, 
who  was  in  no  way  concerned  in  Watson's  plot,  gave  him 
a  far  greater  portion  of  information  than  the  two  former 
individuals.* 

It  was  next  reported,  that  Ralegh  and  Cobham  were  im- 
plicated with  Count  Aremberg,  the  ambassador  from  the 
Archduke  of  Austria,  and  that  their  dealings  with  him,  if 
not  absolutely  of  a  treasonable  nature,  might  be  regarded 
as  disgraceful  to  themselves,  and  as  dangerous  to  the 
state. 

In  the  month  of  May,  1603,  Ralegh  had  projected,  if  not 
executed,  a  work,  which  he  presented  soon  afterwards  to 
James,f  written  expressly  to  discourage  the  prospect  of  a 
peace  with  Spain,  and  urging  the  continuance  of  amity  with 
the  Flemings,  upon  the  grounds  that  "  a  poor  neighbor's 
house  set  on  fire  is  better  to  be  guarded  than  a  great  city 
afar  off  J"  In  the  course  of  June,  in  the  same  year,  the  Aus- 
trian ambassador  landed  in  England.  Soon  after  his  arrival, 
Lord  Cobham,  who  had  formerly  maintained  some  inter- 
course with  the  Austrian  government,  by  means  of  Lau- 
rencie,  an  Antwerp  merchant,  renewed  his  previous  com- 
munication with  that  person,  who  attended  D' Aremberg  to 
England,  and,  in  his  presence,  had  a  personal  interview 
with  the  Austrian  minister.  On  this  occasion  Cobham 
was  instructed  by  the  Austrian  minister  to  offer  a  bribe  to 
Ralegh,  in  order  to  induce  him  to  relinquish  that  opposi- 
tion to  the  peace  with  Spain,  which  he  had  continually 
manifested,  and  which  he  had  shown  explicitly  in  his  re- 
cent publication.  On  quitting  D' Aremberg,  Cobham  re- 
paired to  Durham  House,  in  the  Strand,  where  Ralegh 
then  resided,  and  communicated  to  him,  during  supper,  the 
particulars  of  his  visit  to  D' Aremberg. 

This  was  not  the  first  proposal  of  this  nature  wThich  had 
been  made  to  Ralegh  on  the  part  of  D'Aremberg,  who  had 
tried  his  ground  with  Sir  Walter,  by  a  similar  offer  before 
his  landing  in  England.  J  The  result  of  this  particular  ne- 
gotiation does  not  appear,  and  it  was  probably  anticipated 
by  the  proceedings  against  Ralegh :  the  treaty  was  after- 
wards stated  to  have  been  of  a  treasonable  nature,  although 
no  different  object  to  that  which  has  been  assigned  to  it 

*  Sully's  Memoirs,  Translation,  vol.  iii.  p.  164.     London,  1819. 
t  Birch,  pp.  4?,  43.   .  {  Oldys.  §  Ibid.  151. 


150  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

could  be  ascertained.  It  may  be  justly  remarked,  that  it 
argues  no  great  estimation  of  Ralegh's  incorruptible  prob- 
ity, that  such  a  proposition  should  have  been  made  to  him. 
Unhappily  such  transactions  were  far  too  frequent  in  those 
days  to  be  matters  of  reproof,  or  sources  of  shame,  when 
discovered.  Bribes  were  unblushingly  offered,  and  greedily 
received ;  and  the  use  of  Spanish  gold  among  British 
statesmen  was,  in  the  reign  of  James  I.,  almost  proverbial. 
The  negotiation  was  denied  neither  by  Cobham,  nor  by 
Ralegh. 

Upon  this  incident,  which  could  have  no  relation  to  the 
plot  which  was  immediately  afterwards  disclosed,  the  sub- 
stance of  all  that  can  with  a  shadow  of  justice  be  urged 
against  Raleigh's  conduct  as  a  loyal  subject,  entirely  and 
solely  depends. 

It  was  in  the  beginning  of  July  that  Cecil  received, 
from  Anthony  Copley,  the  particulars  of  a  conspiracy,  of 
which  Copley  avowed  himself  to  be  a  party  concerned. 
The  intelligence  conveyed  by  this  man,  affected  only  Grey 
and  George  Brooke,  disclosing,  on  their  part,  a  plot  to  seize 
the  King's  person,  and  other  treasonable  designs.*  On 
receiving  this  intimation,  the  experienced  minister  imme- 
diately conjectured,  that  if  Brooke  were  a  principal,  it  was 
not  unlikely  that  Cobham  might  also  be  concerned  in  the 
affair ;  from  Cobham  it  was  again  natural  to  refer  to  Ra- 
legh, because,  besides  the  well-known  incapacity  of  the 
wretched  peer  to  any  bold  undertaking,  it  was  notorious 
that  Ralegh  possessed  the  greatest  possible  influence  over 
the  small  degree  of  mind  which  Cobham  possessed;  an  in- 
fluence so  strong,  that  Brooke,  in  remarking  upon  it  dur- 
ing the  trial  which  afterwards  to^k  place,  called  Ralegh, 
emphatically,  "the  witch."f 

Actuated  by  these  suspicions,  Cecil  determined  upon  the 
apprehension  of  the  supposed  conspirators  ;  and  meeting 
Ralegh  on  the  terrace  at  Windsor,  he  desired  him,  as  from 
the  King,  to  remain,  alleging  that  the  lords  of  the  privy 
council  had  something  upon  which  they  wished  to  com- 
municate with  him.  J.  He  was  then  examined  upon  the 
grounds  of  Cobham's  communications  with  Aremberg ;  but 
he  entirely  cleared    the  accused  nobleman  of  any  "  cor- 

*  Birch,  i.50.  f  Trial  in  Pref.  to  Hist.  World,  p.  15. 

t  Cecil's  Evidence  in  the  Trial.  See  Cobbett's  State  Trials,  vol.  ii. 
p.  13. 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  151 

respondence  that  might  not  be  warranted ;"  referring  Cecil 
to  Laurencie  for  a  fuller  explanation  ;  a  counsel  which  he 
subsequently  repeated  in  a  letter  to  the  minister.*  Cob- 
ham  was  then  summoned  to  appear  before  the  lords  at 
Richmond  ;  and  here,  after  for  some  time  refusing  to  de- 
pose any  thing  at  all,f  he  entirely  exculpated  Ralegh,  and 
endeavored  to  exonerate  himself.  But  soon,  the  whole 
train  of  affairs  was  changed,  by  an  artifice  eternally  dis- 
graceful to  men  of  education  and  character,  who  were  con- 
cerned in  a  solemn  investigation  touching  the  lives  and 
reputations  of  others.  A  portion  of  Ralegh's  letter  to  Cecil 
was  shown  to  Cobham,  who  was  led,  from  some  expres- 
sions concerning  Laurencie  and  D'Aremberg,  to  infer  that 
Ralegh,  in  the  remaining  portion  of  the  document,  had  be- 
trayed him.  On  reading  these  passages,  the  wretched 
nobleman,  conscious  of  his  own  nefarious  dealings,  and 
seized  with  a  sudden  impulse,  almost  diabolical  in  its  na- 
ture, exclaimed,  "  Oh  !  traitor ;  oh  !  villain ;  now  will  I 
confess  the  whole  truth  !"  This  burst  of  passion  was  suc- 
ceeded by  an  avowal,  or  rather  fabrication,  which  was  but 
too  eagerly  received  by  the  assembled  enemies  of  the  un- 
fortunate Ralegh.  Under  the  impressions  of  cowardice, 
and  the  excitement  of  revenge,  Cobham  declared  that  it 
had  been  his  intention  to  go  into  Spain  for  the  purpose  of 
borrowing  the  sum  of  one  thousand  crowns  from  Philip  the 
Third,  to  pay  the  rebellious  troops  which  were  to  be  raised 
in  this  country.  He  also  detailed  a  plan  of  returning  to 
England  by  Jersey,  where  Ralegh,  in  his  official  situation 
as  governor  of  that  island,  would  be  ready  to  discuss  with 
him  the  mode  of  distribution  of  the  money.  His  deposition 
was  interspersed  with  many  oaths  and  exclamations,  and 
it  was  crowned  by  a  protest,  most  earnestly  desired  by 
many  of  the  bystanders,  that  at  the  instigation  of  Ralegh 
solely  had  he  entered  into  these  treasonable  designs.'! 

With  regard  to  other  plots,  this  mean  and  dastardly  be- 
trayer of  his  friend,  with  a  degree  of  punning  worthy  of 
his  selfish  character,  declared  his  inability  to  give  any  dis- 
tinct account  of  them,  although  they  had,  he  affirmed,  fre- 
quently been  the  subjects  of  discourse  between  him  and 
Ralegh :  an  unlimited  field  was  thus  left  to  the  accusations 

*  See  Trial,  p.  18. 

t  Oldys,  154,  from  the  arraignment  of  Sir  W.  R.  in  Sherley's  Life. 

t  See  Trial. 


152  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

of  the  malignant,  and  to  the  attachment  of  any  imputation 
which  might  chance,  from  other  coincidences,  to  have  the 
appearance  of  probability.  With  the  inconsistency  of 
falsehood,  Cobham,  to  his  other  allegations,  added  this 
strange  and  contradictory  surmise,  that  he  dreaded  lest,  on 
his  return  to  Jersey,  Ralegh  should  deliver  him  and  the 
money  he  was  desired  to  bring  to  the  king.*  After  deliv- 
ering this  evidence,  which,  incoherent  and  improbable  as 
it  was,  decided  the  fate  of  Ralegh,  Cobham  was  discharged ; 
but,  even  before  he  came  to  the  stair-foot  to  depart  from 
the  council  room,  he  was  seized  with  sudden  remorse :  he 
retracted  his  assertion,  and  confessed  that  he  had  injured 
his  former  associate  and  friend.f  He  refused  for  a  long 
time  to  subscribe  to  his  iniquitous  testimony,  which  was 
taken  down  in  writing,  and  could  not  be  persuaded  to  do 
so,  even  after  reading  that  letter  of  Ralegh's  which  so 
much  enraged  him,  until  Popham,  the  lord  chief  justice, 
being  sent  for,  told  him,  that  it  would  be  considered  as  a 
contempt  of  court,  if  he  did  not  sign  his  deposition.  Nei- 
ther could  he  be  induced  to  confirm  the  truth  of  an  allega- 
tion which  had  been  made  by  his  brother  Brooke,  on  his 
examination,  that  Cobham  had  remarked  to  Brooke  that  he 
and  Grey  were  only  upon  the  "  bye,"  but  that  Ralegh  and 
himself  were  upon  the  "  main."  This  statement,  on  the 
part  of  Brooke,  a  known  enemy  of  Ralegh,  was  also  ex- 
plained by  him  to  refer  to  the  destruction  of  the  King  and 
his  issue ;  a  plot  which  was  considered  as  being  the 
"  main"  or  chief  end  of  the  conspiracy,  whilst  the  "  bye" 
was  supposed  to  refer  to  some  amendments  in  state  affairs, 
said  to  be  desired  by  the  other  conspirators.  Yet,  notwith- 
standing this  denial  on  the  part  of  Cobham,  this  point  was 
afterwards  much  insisted  upon,  and,  during  the  trial,  was 
made  the  pretext  of  imputing  the  chief  guilt  in  the  affair  to 
Ralegh.  Thus,  as  it  were,  prejudged,  and  almost  condemned 
by  anticipation,  Ralegh  was  indicted  at  Staines,  in  Middle- 
sex, on  the  21st  of  September,  and  Cobham  and  Grey  in 
the  course  of  the  three  following  days.  They  were  then 
committed  to  the  Tower.+ 

Upon  the  grounds  of  Sir  Walter  Ralegh's  commitment 
to  prison,  Cecil,  recently  created  Baron  Essenden,  has  ex- 

*  Oldys,  from  Sheiley,  p.  153.  f  T«al- 

X  Stowe's  Annals,  folio  S3. 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  153 

plained  himself  in  a  letter  to  Sir  Thomas  Parry,  at  that 
time  ambassador  in  France.  With  all  his  ingenuity  and 
his  love  for  the  discovery  of  plots,  the  able  secretary  was 
unable  to  give  any  satisfactory  reasons  for  this  proceeding. 
"Concerning  Sir  Walter  Ralegh's  commitment,"  he  ob- 
serves, "  this  hath  been  the  ground.  He  bath  been  discon- 
tented in  conspeclu  omnium  ever  since  the  King  came  ; 
and  yet,  for  those  offices  which  are  taken  from  him,  the 
King  gave  him  300Z.  a-year  during  his  life,  and  forgave  him 
a  good  arrearage  of  debts."  He  then  narrates  the  examina- 
tions before  the  council,  which,  in  the  eye  of  justice,  had 
been  sufficiently  refuted  by  the  vacillating  conduct  of  Cob- 
ham,  his  contradictions,  and  his  violent,  but  too  late  repent- 
ance* ;  and  not  being  able  to  deduce  from  the  vague  accu- 
sations of  Cobham  the  desired  evidence  of  Ralegh's  guilt, 
remarks  that  "his  governing  the  Lord  Cobham's  spirit, 
made  great  suspicions  that  in  these  treasons  he  had  his 
part."  Such  were  the  surmises  upon  which  the  brave,  the 
wise,  and  the  virtuous  were  too  often  consigned  to  un- 
merited disgrace  and  confinement  in  the  boasted  days  of 
our  ancestors. 

Since  the  former  friendship  between  Ralegh  and  Cecil, 
and  the  apparent  reluctance  of  the  latter  to  aid  the  prose- 
cution of  Ralegh  upon  his  trial,  may  be  considered  as  tend- 
ing to  confirm  his  guilt,  it  is  proper  here  to  remark  that  re- 
cent investigations!  appear  to  show  more  fully  than  has 
heretofore  been  manifested,  that  dissensions  between  these 
two  eminent  men  had  commenced  even  during  the  pre- 
ceding reign,  and  had  been  disclosed  to  Cobham.  In  the 
postscript  to  a  letter  addressed  to  that  nobleman,  Ralegh 
speaks  with  bitterness  of  Cecil's  conduct  to  him  in  a  certain 
law-suit,  and  designating  the  secretary  by  the  sarcastic  ap- 
pellation of  "  my  Lord  Puritan  Periam,"  denounces  wrath 
against  him  in  severe  terms.!  If  professions  of  regard 
could,  on  the  one  hand,  be  so  readily  changed  into  con- 
tempt and  anger,  it  is  not  very  probable  that  they  were  very 
sincere,  or  stable,  on  the  part  of  Cecil,  whose  worldly  inte- 
rest it  appeared  to  be  to  forsake  even  this  hollow  semblance 
of  friendship  towards  Ralegh,  on  the  accession  of  James. 
Cecil,  indeed,  seems  to  have  made  no  exertion  to  save  any 

*  Cayley,  i  p.  384.,  from  Pepys's  Library  in  Magdalen  College,  Cam 
bridge, 
t  In  the  State  Paper  Office.  X  See  Appendix,  G. 


154  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

of  the  prisoners  from  their  doom  ;  and  conscious  of  the  in- 
sufficiency of  the  evidence  against  Ralegh  in  an  equitable 
point  of  view,  he  displays  in  his  letters  a  desire  to  expatiate 
upon  the  circumstantial  bearings  of  the  case,  and  a  dispo- 
sition to  seize  hold  of  every  incident  to  confirm  conjectures 
of  his  guilt.  Under  the  mask  of  impartiality,  and  with 
seeming  hesitation,  he  labors  to  convince  his  correspondents 
at  foreign  courts  of  Ralegh's  guilt,  without  directly  ex- 
pressing his  entire  conviction  of  it  himself.  Nothing  can 
be  more  artful,  more  essentially  diplomatic,  than  these  dis- 
patches* :  yet  truth  will  assert  her  power,  and  few  calm 
and  unprejudiced  spectators  were  really  convinced  of 
Ralegh's  co-operation  in  the  wild  schemes  imputed  to  him. 

It  is  melancholy  to  learn  that  the  fortitude  of  Ralegh 
deserted  him  at  this  crisis.  The  mind  which  could  after- 
wards so  nobly  rally  to  support  misfortune,  sank  beneath 
unexpected  disgrace.  That  he  attempted  suicide,  is  a  fact 
over  which  the  Christian  mourns  in  the  bitterness  of  dis- 
appointment. The  fatal  blow  was  arrested  by  the  merciful 
interposition  of  that  pitying  Providence,  who  willed  that 
he  should  live  to  retrieve  the  errors  of  an  useful,  but  not 
faultless  career. 

Ralegh,  at  this  period  of  his  life,  displayed  a  proud  and 
impatient  spirit :  adversity  was  almost  entirely  new  to  him, 
and  her  salutary  lessons  had  been  experienced  in  a  slight 
and  transitory  manner.  The  season  was  yet  to  arrive  in 
which  this  great,  but  erring  man,  was  enabled  to  show,  how, 
from  degradation,  he  could  raise  himself  to  glory,  by  the 
duties  of  submission  and  repentance,  and  by  the  wisdom  of 
resignation. 

His  despair  must  have  been  extreme,  and  it  was  unhap- 
pily construed  into  an  admission  of  his  guilt.  For  although, 
from  the  account  of  Cecil,  he  was  on  his  commitment 
treated  with  humanity,  and  at  first  lodged  and  attended  as 
well  as  in  his  own  house,f  he  could  not  suppress  the  ago- 
nies of  his  mind  ;  and  one  afternoon,  whilst  the  secretary 
and  others  were  examining  some  of  the  prisoners  in  the 
Tower,  he  stabbed  himself  in  the  breast,  near  his  heart, 
with  a  knife.  When  Cecil,  on  being  informed  of  this  at- 
tempt at  self-destruction,  came  to  him,  he  found  him  in 

*  See  his  two  letters  to  Sir  T.  Parry  in  Cayley,  vol.  i.  p.  284.  and  ii.  5., 
also  his  letters  in  Winwood,  vol.  ii.  p.  8. 
t  Cayley.  i.  365. 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH 


155 


great  mental  distress,  "  protesting  his  innocency,  with  care- 
lessness of  life."  That  his  indifference  to  life  was  real,  is 
obvious  from  his  subsequent  conduct  at  his  trial,  when  he 
appeared  far  more  anxious  to  vindicate  his  character,  and 
to  manifest  the  malice  of  his  enemies,  than  to  obtain  their 
mediation  for  his  forgiveness.  Perhaps  there  are  few  men 
who  can  weigh  the  prospect  of  a  long  imprisonment  with 
that  of  a  speedy  release  by  death,  who  would  not,  in  the 
first  ao-onies  of  such  a  prospect,  be  tempted  to  take  their 
fate  into  their  own  hands,  forgetful  of  their  reliance  upon 
that  Supreme  Providence  under  whose  protection  we  may 
presume  the  innocent  captive  peculiarly  to  abide. 

Happily  for  mankind,  happily  for  himself,  the  wound 
which  Ralegh  inflicted  was  not  dangerous,  being,  as  Cecil 
describes  it,  rather  "  a  cut  than  a  stab.*"  The  rash  and 
criminal  deed  was  committed  on  the  twenty-seventh  of 
July,  1603.  By  a  letter  from  the  lieutenant  of  the  Tower, 
dated  the  thirtieth  of  the  same  month,  he  seems  to  have 
been  almost  restored  to  health,  although  still  greatly  agi- 
tated in  mind.f  "  Sir  Walter  Ralegh's  hurte,"  says  the 
writer,  addressing  himself  to  Cecil,  "  wyll  be  within  these 
two  days  perfectly  hoole.  He  doth  styll  contynewe  per- 
plexed as  you  leffte  hvm."  From  the  same  source  we  learn, 
that  he  greatly  desired  to  be  allowed  the  society  of  his  friend 
Herriot ;  but  we  are  not  informed  whether  his  request  was 
granted. 

With  regard  to  the  private  examinations  which  were 
carried  on  between  the  interval  of  his  first  committal  and 
his  trial,  Ralegh  appears  to  have  adopted  a  very  different 
course  to  that  pursued  by  the  other  prisoners.  In  a  letter 
addressed  to  Cecil  by  Sir  William  Wade,  and  indorsed  with 
the  words  "  to  me"  in  the  hand  of  the  secretary  himself,t 
it  appears,  that  Raleffh  at  first  preserved  a  resolute  silence, 
which  he  at  length  "relaxed,  although  with  much  caution ; 
"  and  I  doubt  not,"  observes  Wade,  "  havinge  now  opened 
the  hatche  of  his  closet,  he  will  losse  reserve,  and  be  more 
willing  to  utter  that  is  behind."     Previous  to  this  intelli- 

*  This  attempt  on  the  part  of  Ralegh  is  established  by  Cecil's  Letters 
and  by  his  Diary,  preserved  in  the  Hatfield  library,  first  brought  to  light 
by  Cayley,  vol.  ii.  366.  It  is  confirmed  by  a  letter  in  the  State  Paper 
Office,  now  first  printed  in  the  Appendix,  and  alluding  to  the  cure  of  the 
wound. 

\  See  Appendix,  H.  t  Appendix,  I. 


156  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

gence,  which  was  sent  to  Cecil  on  the  27th  of  August 
nothing  had  been  elicited  from  Ralegh,  nor  does  it  appear, 
from  any  source,  that  he  subsequently  confirmed  the  ex- 
pectations of  Wade  by  disclosing  any  thing  of  importance. 
His  declarations,  and  those  of  his  attendant  Keymis,  were 
taken,*  and  sent  to  Cecil  in  Sir  Walter's  own  hand-writing. 
These,  unluckily,  have  not  been  transmitted  to  us  in  any 
manuscript  collections,  or  have  not  been  yet  discovered. 
They,  probably,  contained  asseverations  of  innocence,  and 
were,  perhaps,  on  that  account,  destroyed  by  Cecil.  There 
was,  evidently,  considerable  pains  taken  to  win  from  him 
some  admission  of  his  guilt,  and  had  such  been  obtained, 
we  should,  no  doubt,  have  been  furnished  with  explicit  and 
perhaps  triumphant  remarks  upon  it  from  the  pen  of  Wade, 
who  was  indefatigable  in  his  investigation  of  the  prisoners.! 
On  the  contrary,  Cecil,  in  his  letter  to  Sir  Ralph  Winwood, 
then  ambassador  at  the  Hague,  declares  that  Ralegh  was 
firm  in  his  asseverations  of  innocence.  And  yet,  unshaken 
by  this  fact,  or  else  determined  to  believe  him  guilty,  lie 
makes  this  invidious  remark  upon  the  circumstance,  "  that 
though  Sir  Walter  persists  in  his  denials,  by  having  gotten 
some  intelligence  of  the  Lord  Cobham's  retractation,  yet 
the  first  accusation  is  so  well  fortified  with  other  demon- 
strative circumstances,  and  the  retractation  so  blemished 
by  the  discovery  of  that  intelligence  which  they  had,  as 
few  men  can  conceive  it  comes  from  a  pure  heart." 

The  consistent  asseverations  of  Ralegh  were  strongly 
contrasted  with  the  confessions,  prevarications,  and  sup- 
plications of  his  fellow-prisoners.  Grey,  in  his  "  declara- 
tion," as  it  was  called,  confessed  that  he  had  a  "  plot,  a 
party,  and  confederates."^  He  further  acknowledged,  that 
the  object  of  this  scheme  was  to  surprise  the  King  and  his 
court. ^  And  he  scorned  not  to  address  letters  to  the  King, 
two  of  which  are  still  extant  ;||  and  probably  several  to 
Cecil,  to  one  of  which  we  have  the  secretary's  answer.  IT 
These  addresses  were  written  with  the  high  bearing  of  an 
English  peer,  who  insisted  upon  his  services,  and  those  of 
his  ancestors,  as  claims  to  mercy,  rather  than  on  his  own 

*  See  Appendix,  I.  &  K. 

t  Such  is  the  general  tenor  of  the  letters  in  the  State  Paper  Office, 
from  Wade  to  Cecil.     Nothing  was,  however,  elicited  from  Ralegh. 
I  See  Appendix,  I.  &  K.  §  Winwood's  Mem.,  vol.  ii.  p.  8. 

|  In  the  State  Paper  Office,  Appendix.  L  &  M.  V  Appendix,  O. 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  157 

innocence.  They  were  penned  with  some  ostentation  of 
learning,  which  might,  one  would  think,  have  aroused  the 
sympathy  of  James ;  hut  it  is  evident  from  Cecil's  cautious, 
yet  apparently  kind  reply,  that  the  fate  of  this  misguided 
but  high-minded  young  nobleman  was  already  determined. 
Cobham  attempted  no  new  retractation  of  his  confession, 
but  resigned  himself  to  the  deepest  depression  of  which 
his  mean  and  selfish  soul  was  susceptible,  and  adopted  those 
humble  terms  of  supplication  which  the  basest  craving  for 
the  boon  of  life  could  suggest.  In  the  documents  in  the 
State  Paper  Office,  so  repeatedly  referred  to,  his  spirits  are 
said  to  be  "  exceeding  muche  declyned,  he  is  growne  pas- 
sionate in  lamentacion  and  sorrowe ;  his  only  hope  is  in 
his  Majestie's  mercye,  and  Lord  Cecil's  mediation."  Mean- 
while he  addressed  a  letter  to  the  Earls  of  Nottingham 
and  Suffolk,  and  to  Lord  Cecil,  praying  for  their  mediation, 
in  a  mode  which  was  extremely  characteristic  of  his  own 
base  nature,  and  of  the  corruptions  of  the  times,  which 
emboldened  him  to  hint  to  these  three  exalted  personages, 
that  the  "  lowness  of  his  estate  prevented  his  being  able 
to  promise  them  any  requital  of  their  favors.*"  Jn  this 
letter,  he  humbly  sued  for  a  private  interview  with  those 
noblemen,  to  whom  he  promised  "  to  disclose  that  which 
he  had  revealed  to  no  other  living  creature."  This  seems 
to  have  been  a  last  desperate  attempt  to  obtain  mercy ;  for 
the  truly  abject  composition  was  penned  so  late  as  October, 
about  a  month  before  the  trials  of  the  conspirators  were  to 
commence.  Brooke,  who,  with  Cobham,  acknowledged  the 
treasonable  correspondence  with  Spain,f  confessed  also,  to 
the  fullest  extent,  as  much  as  Grey,  and  was  declared  by 
Wade  "  to  be  before,  and  not  behind  the  rest,  as  well  in 
ample  declaration  as  in  time."  From  his  evidence,  it  was 
collected  that  Sir  Walter  Ralegh  was  "  ordinarily  twiess 
a  week  with  the  Lord  Cobham,  but  what  their  confer- 
ences were,  none  but  themselves  doe  knowe.  But  Mr. 
Brooke  confidently  thinketh,  that  what  his  brother  knows, 
was  known  to  ye  other.J"  This,  as  far  as  can  be  at  present 
traced,  was  all  the  testimony  given  in  the  Tower  which 
could  possibly  criminate  Ralegh ;  and  how  little,  in  our 
more  impartial  and  enlightened  times,  should  we  think  of 

*  Appendix,  P.  f  Winwood,  ii.  p.  8. 

J  See  Letters  from  State  Paper  Office,  Appendix,  L. 


158  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

such  unsupported  and  indefinite  allegations  !  Like  Grej 
and  Cobham,  Brooke  addressed  a  petition  to  Cecil,  whom 
he  endeavored  to  move  by  an  allusion  to  his  own  sister,  the 
deceased  wife  of  Cecil,  to  whom  he  was  thus  closely  allied 
by  marriage.  The  letter,  like  those  of  his  fellow  delin- 
quents, is  extremely  characteristic,  and  shows  both  the 
ability  and  acuteness  of  this  designing  but  accomplished 
man  :  for  Brooke  was  far  superior  to  Cobham  in  talents, 
acquirements,  and  courage,  although  resembling  his  despi- 
cable relative  in  his  unprincipled  conduct.  He  is  supposed 
to  have  stimulated  Cobham  to  the  selfish  and  dangerous 
schemes  which  they  had  contemplated  in  concert  with 
Markham,  Watson,  Clerk,  and  the  rest  of  the  confed- 
erates. 

After  Sir  Walter  had  been  examined  by  Lord  Henry 
Howard,  Lord  Wotton,  and  Sir  Edward  Coke,  he  addressed 
to  the  Earls  of  Nottingham,  Suffolk,  and  Devonshire,  and 
to  Lord  Cecil,  a  letter  full  of  eloquent  protestations  of  in- 
nocence, and  of  sound  argument*  This  he  followed  with 
a  supplication  to  the  King,  to  whom  he  represented  that  ii 
was  one  office  of  a  just  and  merciful  prince  to  hear  the 
complaints  of  his  vassal,  and  especially  of  such  as  were 
in  misery."!  These  addresses,  as  it  may  be  presumed, 
failed  to  propitiate  those  who  were  predetermined  against 
him. 

Hopeless  of  mercy,  and  resting  his  chance  of  security 
upon  the  almost  equally  fallacious  expectations  of  justice, 
Ralegh,  as  the  time  appointed  for  his  trial  drew  near,  be  • 
came  extremely  anxious  to  obtain  from  Cobham  that  justi- 
fication which  his  innocence,  as  he  affirmed,  demanded. 
Availing  himself  one  evening  of  the  absence  of  the  lieu- 
tenant of  the  Tower  at  supper,  he  bribed  a  poor  man  to 
throw  up  into  Cobham's  apartment  an  apple,  to  which  a 
letter  was  fastened.  hi  this  communication,  Ralegh  en- 
treated Cobham  "  for  God's  sake  to  do  him  justice  in  his 
answer,  and  signify  to  him  that  he  had  wronged  him  in  his 
accusation."  To  this  request  Cobham  returned  a  reply, 
which,  not  being  quite  so  explicit  as  Ralegh  desired,  he 
sent  another  letter  to  Cobham,  similar  m  effect  to  the 
former ;  to  this,  although  he  required  no  answer,  but  mere- 
ly expressed  his  desire  that  Cobham  would  declare  hia 

*  See  Ralegh's  Remains.  t  Birch.  »•  377- 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  159 

innocence  at  the  trial,  an  emphatic  assurance  was  returned, 
declaring  Ralegh,  in  the  most  solemn  terms,  guiltless  of 
all  the  charges.* 

The  plague  was  at  this  time  raging  in  England,  and, 
although  the  King  and  Queen,  almost  in  defiance  of  its 
power,  had  been  crowned  at  Westminster,  yet  little  public 
business  could  now  be  transacted  in  the  metropolis.  Whilst 
a  general  panic  pervaded  all  classes  on  account  of  this 
direful  infection,  it  is  remarkable  that  the  unhappy  prison- 
ers in  the  Tower  were  peculiarly  exempt  from  its  influ- 
ence ;  only  one  man,  a  porter  in  this  edifice,  being  attacked 
with  it,  and  dying  from  its  cruel  effects.!  This  might  be 
some  consolation  at  a  time  when  diseased  persons  were 
rushing  out  of  the  towns  into  the  adjacent  villages,  and 
dying  in  barns  and  stables,  into  which  the  poor  despairing 
wretches  cast  themselves,  heedless  of  the  dissemination  of 
that  infection  by  which  they  were  themselves  the  sufferers. 
Such  was  the  state  of  anarchy  produced  by  this  public 
calamity,  that  constables  could  not  be  found  who  would, 
under  any  penalty,  convey  the  infected  persons  to  the  pest- 
house.  The  bedding,  straw,  and  clothes  of  those  who  had 
died  of  this  frightful  distemper  were  cast  into  the  streets, 
and  thus  contagion  borne  on  every  breeze  of  wind,  and 
hasty  travellers  and  passengers  endangered  by  these  con- 
taminated articles.  The  cages  and  watch-houses  in  Lon- 
don and  the  suburbs  were  filled  with  the  dying,  and  even 
the  offices  of  burial  could  with  difficulty  be  procured.  In 
this  awful  visitation,  the  mayor  and  aldermen,  and  the  jus- 
tices, deserted  the  city,  and  left  it  to  its  wretched  fate, 
without  a  project  for  relief  and  prevention.  The  courts 
of  law,  after  removing  from  place  to  place,  and  infecting 
many  towns  with  the  disorder,  were  held  at  Winchester, 
whither  Ralegh  and  his  companions  were  now  removed  for 
their  several  trials.  On  the  tenth  of  September  he  was 
conveyed,  in  his  own  coach,  first  to  Bagshot  in  Surrey,  and 
thence  two  days  afterwards  to  Winchester  Castle.  Such 
was  the  extreme,  and  almost  unaccountable,  popular  aver- 
sion to  this  great  man,  that,  as  he  travelled,  he  was  fol- 
lowed by  the  execrations  of  the  people  through  London 

*  Overbury's  Copy  of  Sir  VV.  Ralegh's  Confession,  p.  5.  ed.  1648. 

t  As  it  appears  by  a  letter  in  the  State  Paper  Office  from  Sir  William 
Wade  to  Cecil,  dated  August  31st,  1603,  from  which  also  the  following 
observations  on  the  plague  are  taken. 


160  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

and  the  other  towns ;  and  tobacco-pipes,  stones,  and  mud 
;hrown  into  his  coach.*  To  these  cruel  insults  he  paid 
not  the  slightest  notice,  nor  accorded  the  honor  of  his  re- 
sentment. Regarding  these  ebullitions  as  the  indications 
of  a  malignant  faction,  working  upon  the  minds  of  the  base 
and  ignorant,  he  viewed  them  with  a  calm  and  almost 
cheerful  countenance,  nor  suffered  a  murmur  to.  escape 
him ;  yet  his  personal  danger  must  have  been  great,  from 
the  account  which  Sir  William  Wade  transmitted  to  Cecil 
shortly  after  the  arrival  of  the  prisoners  at  Winchester. 
"I  thanke  God,"  says  the  conductor  of  this  important 
charge,  "  we  brought  all  our  prisoners  safely  hither  yes- 
terday night  in  good  tyme ;  and  yet  I  protest  to  your  Lord- 
ship, it  was  hab  or  nab  whether  Sir  Walter  Rawley  should 
have  bin  brought  a  live  thorow  such  multitudes  of  unruly 
people  as  did  exclaym  against  hym.  He  that  had  seen  it 
would  not  think  there  had  bin  any  sicknes  in  London ;  we 
toke  the  best  order  we  could,  in  setting  watches  thorow 
all  the  streets,  both  in  London  and  in  the  suburbs :  if  one 
hair-brain  fellow  amongst  so  great  multitudes  had  begunn 
to  set  upon  him,  as  they  were  verry  nere  to  do  it,  no  nit- 
watch  or  meanns  could  have  prevayled,  the  fury  and 
tumult  of  the  people  was  so  greatf"  The  time  was. 
however,  approaching,  when  these  sentiments  of  detesta- 
tion were  to  be  changed  into  those  of  compassion,  respect 
and  admiration. 

*  Lodge's  Illustrations  Hist.  iii.  417. 

t  See  Appendix,  a.    Letter  from  Wade  to  Cecil,  dated  Aug.  31.  1603. 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  161 


CHAP.  V. 

Trial  of  Ralegh.— Character  of  Sir  Edward  Coke.— Affair  of  the  Lady 
Arabella. — Conduct  and  Sentence  of  the  Prisoners. 

On  the  seventeenth  day  of  the  month,  the  trial  of  Ralegh 
came  on,  before  Lord  Cecil,  now  Earl  of  Salisbury,  the 
Earl  of  Suffolk,  Lord  Chamberlain,  the  Earl  of  Devonshire, 
Lord  Henry  Howard,  Lord  Wotton,  Sir  John  Stanhope, 
Vice  Chamberlain,  Popham,  Lord  Chief  Justice,  Anderson, 
Lord  Chief  Justice  of  the  Common  Pleas,  Sir  William 
Wade,  and  two  judges,  Warburton  and  Gaudy.  Several 
amongst  these  individuals  had  already  been  employed  to 
examine  Ralegh,  and  to  investigate  the  whole  affair.  It  is 
remarkable  that  nothing  to  his  disadvantage  had  been  as 
yet  elicited.  In  the  correspondence  in  the  State  Paper 
Office,  there  occurs,  indeed,  the  following  observation, 
from  the  pen  of  Sir  William  Wade,  addressed,  as  usual,  to 
Cecil ;  but  it  is  wholly  unexplained  and  ambiguous : — "  It 
may  please  your  good  lordship,  by  my  Lord  Henry  Howard, 
I  was  bold  to  troble  your  lordship  with  the  short  collection 
of  these  last  labors,  which  have  gretly  entangled  Sir 
Walter  Rawley,  or  rather  disclosed  him  from  his  covert; 
and  also  discovered  that  depthe  of  malice  in  my  Lord  Cob- 
ham's  purposes,  as  to  me  seeme  very  strange." 

The  jury,  consisting  of  an  equal  number  of  knights, 
esquires,  and  gentlemen,  were  not  personally  known  to 
Ralegh,  and,  it  was  reported,  had  been  changed  even  the 
night  before,  the  foreman,  and  one  or  two  individuals  who 
had  been  first  chosen,  having  been  old  and  favorite  servants 
of  Queen  Elizabeth,  and  therefore  not  likely  to  prove  so 
ready  to  convict  one  who  had  also  enjoyed  the  confidence 
of  that  princess,  as  those  whose  chief  object  was  to  obtain 
the  favor  of  the  reigning  monarch.* 

After  the  usual  forms  had  been  passed,  the  indictment 
was  read,  and  Sir  Walter  pleaded  "  Not  guilty."  The 
general  tenor  of  the  charges  amounted  to  this  effect :  that 
he  had  conspired  to  deprive  the  king  of  his  government,  to 

*  Observations  on  Sanderson's  History  of  Mary  Queen  of  Scots  and 
her  Son.    Page  8.  4to.  1656. 


162  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

raise  up  sedition,  to  introduce  the  Romish  religion,  and  to 
procure  foreign  enemies  to  invade  the  kingdom.*  The  in- 
dictment then  entered  into  the  supposed  particulars  of  thia 
plot,  which  were  derived  from  the  confessions  of  Cobham 
and  Brooke.  He  was  also  charged  with  having  composed 
a  book  against  the  king's  title,  and  instigated  Arabella  to 
write  three  letters ;  one  to  the  King  of  Spain,  another  to 
the  Archduke  of  Austria,  and  a  third  to  the  Duke  of  Savoy, 
in  order  to  persuade  them  to  advance  her  title.  The  rest 
of  the  charges  related  to  the  transactions  between  Arem- 
berg  and  Cobham,  and  to  the  agreement  between  that  no- 
bleman and  Ralegh,  that  the  latter  should  obtain  eight 
thousand  crowns  of  the  money  said  to  be  raised  on  the  part 
of  Spain. 

Ralegh,  on  being  asked  if  he  would  "  take  exceptions 
to  any  of  the  jury  !"  replied,  "  I  know  none  of  them;  they 
are  all  Christians  and  honest  gentlemen :  I  except  against 
none."  He  then  requested  to  be  allowed  to  answer  every 
point  particularly,  as  delivered,  "  by  reason  of  the  weak- 
ness of  his  memory,  and  sickness."  Heale,  the  King's  ser- 
geant at  law,  proceeded  to  address  the  court,  and,  in  a  short, 
but  violent  speech,  gave  a  lamentable  specimen  of  the  le- 
gal oratory  of  the  day.  A  far  greater  display  of  eloquence 
was  expected  from  the  attorney-general,  Sir  Edward  Coke, 
afterwards  lord  chief  justice,  who  had  recently  received 
the  order  of  knighthood,  and  had  formerly  enjoyed  the  far 
greater  honor  of  being  frequently  consulted  by  Queen 
Elizabeth  and  her  council  in  matters  of  state,  not  immedi- 
ately connected  with  his  professional  duties.  As  nature, 
in  dealing  with  Bacon,  the  great  rival  of  Coke,  seemed  to 
have  forgotten,  among  her  numerous  gifts  to  that  illustrious 
person,  the  endowment  of  a  heart ;  so,  in  the  constitution 
of  Coke,  if  she  had  bestowed  originally  warmer  and  better 
dispositions,  she  had  not  guarded  him  with  resolution  suffi- 
cient to  defend  himself  from  the  corruptions  of  the  times, 
and  from  the  effects  of  the  political  and  professional  inter- 
ests in  which  he  lived  and  moved.  Violent  and  rancorous 
towards  those  whom  guilt  or  misfortune  placed  beneath 
his  iron  grasp,  Coke  was  remarkable  for  a  paltry  obsequi- 
ousness to  the  great  and  powerful,  who  were  able  to  confer 
those  temporal  advantages  upon  which  he  vainly  and  wick- 

*  Cobbett's  State  Trials,  vol.  ii.  p.  1. 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  163 

edly  doted  It  was  still  fresh  in  the  recollection  of  all 
classes,  that  he  had  pursued  the  earl  of  Essex,  and  his  fel- 
low prisoner,  Lord  Southampton,  with  a  malignity  which 
was  the  more  contemptible,  as  it  proceeded,  not  so  much 
from  his  own  personal  resentment,  as  from  his  ambition  to 
gratify  the  Queen,  whose  mingled  sentiments  of  love  and 
anger  he  seems  not  to  have  comprehended.  Coke  was 
connected  with  Cecil  by  his  marriage  with  the  secretary's 
sister,  which,  on  account  of  its  irregularity,  for  which  the 
parties  pleaded,  it  is  strange  to  say,  ignorance  oflaio,  had 
been  visited  with  severe  penalties  by  the  church.  It  may 
be  presumed,  from  this  affinity  to  Cecil,  that  Coke  was  not 
disposed  to  relax  from  his  usual  line  of  conduct  in  prosecu- 
tions, from  favor  to  Ralegh,  whose  bitterest  enemy  he  had 
already  proved  himself  to  be,  by  examining  him  as  to  what 
he  knew  of  the  guilt  of  Essex,  and  thus  contributing  to 
render  him  odious  to  the  people.  Influenced  by  all  these 
considerations,  this  indefatigable  lawyer  came  to  the  trial 
of  the  most  accomplished  gentleman  of  England  with  a 
more  than  wonted  preparation  of  gall  and  sarcasm  on  his 
brow ;  with  the  vehemence  of  party  zeal,  heightened  by 
private  interest ;  and  with  an  habitual  violence  of  temper, 
apparently  aggravated  by  an  insolent  triumph  in  grappling 
with  so  illustrious  an  enemy,  and  by  an  opportunity  of  re- 
ducing the  admired  of  all  observers  to  the  level  of  a  com- 
mon prisoner.  Such  was  the  impression  which  the  deport- 
ment of  Coke  conveyed  to  all  unprejudiced  spectators  ;  and, 
if  posterity  be  thought  to  have  dealt  hardly  with  him,  in 
condemning  him  for  a  mode,  then  not  uncommon,  of  pur- 
suing his  professional  duties,  let  it  be  remembered  that  he 
lost  a  glorious  occasion  of  showing  forbearance  and  impar- 
tiality to  a  persecuted  individual ;  of  paying  a  tribute  to  the 
merit  and  talents  of  the  unhappy  prisoner,  even  whilst  he 
reprobated,  as  they  the  more  enhanced,  the  danger  of  his 
imputed  crime;:;  or,  if  such  a  line  of  conduct  were  deemed 
incompatible  with  the  severe  exercise  of  his  legal  func- 
tions, decency  and  humanity  might  have  guarded  the  fallen 
foe  at  least  from  insult.  But  Coke  was  blinded  by  a  gross 
selfishness,  which  could  only  in  subsequent  disgrace  and 
misfortune  give  place  to  more  liberal  and  philanthropic 
views.  The  illustrious  Bacon,  at  a  later  period,  addressed 
to  him  this  reproof: — "  As  in  your  pleadings  you  were 
wr.>nt  to  insult  over  misery,  and  to  inveigh  bitterly  at  the 


164  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

persons,  which  bred  you  many  enemies,  whose  poison  yet 
ewelleth,  and  the  effects  now  appear,  so  you  are  still  wont 
to  be  a  little  careless  in  this  point ;  to  praise  or  disgrace 
upon  slight  grounds,  and  that  sometimes  untruly,  so  that 
your  reproofs  for  the  most  part  are  neglected  or  contemn- 
ed ;  when  the  censure  of  a  judge,  coming  slow,  but  sure, 
should  be  a  brand  to  the  gudty,  and  a  crown  to  the  virtu- 
ous." 

The  attorney-general  began  his  harangue  with  a  decla- 
ration, too  soon  proved  to  be  fallacious,  that  nothing  but 
plain  evidence  should  condemn  "  the  prisoner."  He 
rang  changes  upon  the  different  modes  and  degrees  of 
mischief,  subdividing  its  import  into  "  imitation,  supporta- 
tion,  and  defence ;"  he  gave  a  summary  of  the  principal 
charges,  comparing  the  several  plots  to  Samson's  foxes, 
"  which  were  joined  in  the  tails,  although  their  heads  were 
severed."  He  declared  it  to  be  the  intention  of  the  con- 
spirators to  make  Watson  lord  chancellor,  Brooke  lord  treas- 
urer, Markham  secretary,  and  Grey  earl  marshal.  He 
dealt  in  nice  definitions,  and  in  labored,  puzzling  disquisi- 
tions, interspersed  with  much  law,  some  learning,  and  no 
small  portion  of  flattery  to  the  King.  He  described  treason 
as  in  the  heart,  the  hand,  the  mouth,  and  in  consummation ; 
comparing  that  in  corde  to  the  root  of  a  tree  ;  in  ore,  to 
the  bud ;  in  manu,  to  the  blossom ;  and  that  in  consumma- 
tione,  to  the  fruit.  After  this  display  of  oratory,  he  showed 
how  little  he  was  restrained  by  a  sense  of  justice,  either  in 
his  assertions  or  in  his  examinations,  for,  on  some  questions 
being  asked  by  Ralegh,  he  broke  out  into  the  exclamation, 
"  I  will  prove  you  the  notoriousest  traitor  that  ever  came  to 
the  bar."  This  coarse  and  even  brutal  mode  of  address 
was  succeeded  by  a  torrent  of  invective,  in  which  the 
learned  counsel  labored  to  cast  upon  Ralegh,  as  the  ablest 
individual  of  the  conspiracy,  the  swordsman  and  penman 
of  the  group,  "  the  very  head  and  front  of  the  offences." 
Since  no  evidence  could  possibly  be  brought  of  Ralegh's 
personal  co-operation  in  the  conspiracy  to  seize  the  King, 
he  was  stated  to  have  been  guilty  of  participation  in  the 
plots  of  Markham  and  Brooke,  by  imitation ;  but,  on  his  re- 
quiring the  proof  of  this  allegation,  he  was  called  by  Coke, 
a  "  monster  having  an  English  face,  but  a  Spanish  heart,' 
and  forbidden  to  speak,  until  the  interference  of  Cecil  pro 
duced  greater  moderation.     A  long  speech  was,  however 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  105 

endured,  containing  such  interpolations  of  abuse  as  the  fol- 
lowing :  "  the  most  horrible  practices  that  ever  came  out 
of  the  bottomless  pit  of  the  lowest  hell;"  "You  are  the  ab- 
solutest  traitor  that  ever  was ;"  "  Thou  traitor,  thou  viper  ;"* 
to  all  which  Ralegh,  with  calm  dignity,  replied,  "  that  he 
would  wash  his  hands  of  the  indictment,  and  die  a  true 
man  to  the  King."  The  deposition  of  Lord  Cobham  was 
then  read.  This  had  been  solemnly  retracted ;  yet  it  con- 
stituted the  material  evidence  upon  which  the  case  for  the 
prosecution  rested.f  Ralegh's  confession  was  also  pro- 
duced ;  the  whole  purport  of  which  was,  that  he  had  been 
offered  by  Cobham  8000  crowns  if  he  would  further  the 
peace  between  Spain  and  England  ;  a  proposal  to  which  he 
replied,  "  when  I  see  the  money,  I  will  tell  you  more  ;'* 
"  for  he  thought  it  was  one  of  Cobham's  ordinary  idle  con- 
ceits, and,  therefore,  made  no  account  thereof.:):"  After 
many  circumlocutions,  and  much  perversion  of  the  evi- 
dence, which  consisted,  in  general,  of  little  but  a  recapitu- 
lation of  that  which  had  already  transpired  upon  the  pre- 
vious examinations,  Ralegh  rose  to  make  his  defence. 
With  the  clearness  of  a  well-arranged  mind,  he  exposed 
the  illegal  nature  of  the  testimony  upon  which  his  fate  de- 
pended, which  must  either  "condemn  him,  or  give  him 
life ;  set  him  free,  or  send  his  wife  and  children  about  the 
streets  to  beg  their  bread."  He  first  denied  having  ever 
had  the  slightest  concern  in  the  succession  of  Arabella,  to 
whom  he  had,  as  it  appears,  a  personal  dislike. §  On  the 
mention  of  her  name,  either  at  this  period  of  the  proceedings, 
or  at  some  other  point,  attention  was  drawn  to  that  lady, 
who,  as  well  as  the  Countess  of  Nottingham,  the  Countess 
of  Suffolk,  and  other  ladies  of  distinction,  was  in  Court,  ||  in 
a  gallery,  with  the  Lord  Admiral.  Lord  Cecil  then  said, 
"  Here  hath  been  a  touch  of  the  Lady  Arabella  Stuart,  the 
King's  near  kinswoman  ;  let  us  not  scandal  the  innocent 
by  confusion  of  speech.  She  is  as  innocent  of  all  these 
things  as  I  or  any  man  here  ;   only  she  received  a  let- 

*  Coke  is  supposed  to  have  excited  the  well-merited  satire  ofShak- 
speare  by  these  effusions  of  passion,  or  manoeuvres  of  interest ;  and  our 
great  poet  is  thought  to  allude  to  this  memorable  scene,  when,  in  Twefth 
Night,  Sir  Toby,  giving  Sir  Andrew  directions  to  challenge  Viola,  says 
to  him,  "  If  thou  thou'st  him  twice,  it  may  not  be  amiss." 
t  Trial.  J  Lodge's  Illustrations,  vol.  iii.  not*  217 

§  See  Sir  Dudley  Carleton's  Letters  in  Cobbett's  State  Trials. 
Ibid. 


166    .  LIFE  OP  SIR  WALTER  RAL  EGH. 

ter  from  my  Lord  Cobham,  to  prepare  her,  which  she 
laughed  at,  and  immediately  sent  it  to  the  King."  The 
Lord  Admiral  then  added,  "The  lady  doth  here  protest 
upon  her  salvation,  that  she  never  dealt  in  any  of  these 
things,  and  so  she  willed  me  to  tell  the  court." 

Thus  was  this  part  of  the  indictment  dismissed,  but  to 
what  extent  the  reflections,  touching  the  loyalty  of  Ara- 
bella, and  her  connexion  with  the  conspirators,  were  per- 
mitted to  go,  is  not  known,  because  all  the  notes  of  the 
trial  relative  to  her  were  suppressed,  except  those  relating 
to  her  justification,  which  are  supposed  to  have  been  inad- 
vertently published.* 

Ralegh  also  refuted  the  notion  of  a  design  to  borrow 
money  from  the  King  of  Spain,  whom  he  represented  as 
one  of  the  proudest,  yet  poorest  princes  of  Christendom. 
He  declared  that  his  intimacy  with  Cobham  originated  in 
the  management  which  he  took  in  the  affairs  of  that  noble- 
man ;  and  that  he  had,  at  the  time  of  his  arrest,  several 
valuable  jewels  belonging  to  Cobham  in  his  charge.  He 
represented  how  improbable  it  was  that  Cobham  should 
leave  so  much  property  to  be  confiscated,  if  he  intended  to 
become  an  outlaw,  besides  taking  into  account  recent  ad- 
ditions of  considerable  extent  which  the  Earl  had  made  to 
his  library  at  Canterbury.!  He  declared  his  willingness 
to  confess  the  truth  of  the  charges  against  him,  and  to  for- 
feit his  life,  if  Cobham,  when  confronted  with  him,  would 
persist  in  swearing  to  the  truth  of  that  which  he  had  de- 
posed ;  and  he  was  seconded  in  his  earnest  petitions  for  the 
production  of  Cobham  before  the  Court,  by  Cecil,!  who  ap- 
pears alone  of  all  the  commissioners  to  have  affected  any 
show  of  impartiality  and  moderation.  The  Lord  Chief 
Justice  then  commented  upon  Cobham's  unwillingness  to 
sign  his  deposition ;  and  Cecil  next  described  his  own 
share  in  the  apprehension  of  the  prisoners,  premising  that 
a  "  former  dearness  between  him  and  Ralegh  had  tied  a 
firm  knot  of  his  conceit  of  Ralegh's  virtues,  now  broken  by 
a  discovery  of  his  imperfections.  §"  This  allusion  to  their  for- 
mer friendship,  this  reference  to  Ralegh's  prosperous  days, 
conveyed,  perhaps,  to  his  breast  a  sting  more  subtle,  and  more 
keen,  than  the  coarse  and  venomous  revilings  of  Coke ; 
but  the  cautious  and  wily  remark  of  the  once  familiar 

*  Lodge,  note,  iii.  217.  t  Trial.  J  Loi!go  §  Trial. 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  167 

friend  of  the  unhappy  prisoner  was,  doubtless,  intended 
both  as  an  apology  to  the  King,  for  his  previous  intimacy 
with  Ralegh,  and  as  a  justification  to  the  public  for  his  ac- 
quiescence in  the  persecution  of  one  with  whom  he  had 
taken  "  sweet  counsel."  Yet  some  natural  tears  were  ob- 
served to  escape  from  Cecil,  as  also  from  the  Earl  of  Mar* ; 
the  selfishness  of  ambition  not  having  altogether  annihi- 
lated every  kindlier  emotion. 

Meanwhile  the  trial  proceeded,  and  so  temperate  were 
Ralegh's  replies,  so  wise  and  so  ready  his  refutations  of  all 
objections,  that  an  universal  sentiment  of  good-will  pre- 
vailed towards  him.f  His  arguments  were  ingeniously 
interwoven  with  sentences  of  divinity,  humanity,  civil  law, 
and  common  law ;  and  such  was  his  display  of  legal  know- 
ledge, that  he  was  generally  reported  to  have  studied  for 
the  bar  at  an  early  period  of  his  life.  But  all  his  exertions 
were  unavailing,  and  the  greater  tbe  learning  and  ability 
which  he  manifested,  the  more  were  his  enemies  resolved 
on  crushing  so  dangerous  a  foe.  In  vain  did  he  ask  for 
common  justice,  in  desiring  that  the  charges  should  not  be 
admitted  on  the  evidence  of  one  witness :  "  You  try  me," 
said  he,  "by  the  evidence  of  the  Spanish  inquisition,  if  you 
proceed  without  two  witnesses."  Upon  which  he  was  told 
by  Coke,  that  he  "spoke  treason.:);"  He  was  informed  by 
the  lord  chief  justice,  that  the  statutes  of  the  twenty-fifth 
of  Edward  the  Third,  and  fifth  of  Edward  the  Sixth,  re- 
quiring two  witnesses,  were  repealed,  and  that  it  was  now 
sufficient  if  there  were  depositions  under  either  hand,  or  by 
the  testimony  of  witnesses,  or  even  that  it  needed  not  the 
subscription  of  the  party,  so  there  be  hands  of  credible  men 
to  testify  the  examination.  §"  Such  was  the  perversion  of 
a  law  too  obviously  just  to  need  any  comment.  Men,  who 
could  thus  act  for  party  purposes,  would  soon  refine  away 
even  sacred  writ  to  countenance  injustice.  This  destitu- 
tion of  principle,  this  mournful  sign  of  the  times,  was  too 
well  seen  and  fulfilled  in  the  succeeding  reigns,  when 
Scripture  was  made  the  watch-word  for  every  instance  of 
oppression,  and  the  barriers  of  moral  honesty  and  of  good 
faith  lamentably  broken.  Those  persons  who  are  curious 
to  peruse  a  tissue  of  falsehood,  calumny,  and  contradiction, 

*  Lodge,  iii.  216.  from  the  Talbot  Papers. 

t  Laige.  J  Trial.  §  Ibid. 


168  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

should  refer  to  the  details  of  that  process,  falsely  called  a 
trial,  by  wh'ch  Ralegh  was  condemned.  Vehement  abuse 
from  Coke,  a  sly  and  ingenious  construction  of  every  friv- 
olous circumstance  into  a  confirmation  of  the  main  charge 
on  the  part  of  Cecil,  and  a  shameless  departure  from  legal 
exactness  in  Popham  and  the  other  judges,  were  the  char- 
acteristics of  this  proceeding.  Happily  for  Ralegh,  whilst 
iiis  patience  and  ingenuity  were  thus  painfully  exercised, 
an  opportunity  was  afforded  to  him  for  the  explanation  of 
every  minute  detail  of  his  case.  It  was  well  observed  by 
an  eye-witness,  that  "  he  served  for  a  whole  act,  and  played 
all  the  parts  himself.*"  Borne  down  on  all  sides,  he  ap- 
peared truly  great  during  the  whole  of  this  scene,  which 
lasted  from  eight  in  the  morning,  until  seven  in  the  even- 
ing. Humble,  without  servility,  serious,  yet  not  dejected, 
"  towards  the  jury  not  fawning,  nor  believing,  nor  hoping 
in  them,"  he  stood  before  his  enemies  with  the  collected 
and  commanding  appearance  of  one  who  "  rather  loves  life 
than  fears  death,"  and  who  seeks  to  rescue  his  name  from 
infamy  in  the  serenity  and  dignity  of  a  blameless  con- 
science.! AH  who  beheld  him  were  astonished  that  a  man 
of  his  known  spirit  could  brook  the  insults  which  he  re- 
ceived, with  a  degree  of  calmness  which  threw  the  oppro- 
brium from  himself  upon  his  opponents.  Yet,  although  it 
was  said,  that  he  "  seemed  to  cast  himself  for  very  weari- 
ness, afraid  to  detain  the  company  too  long,"  he  seems  to 
have  left  no  effort  unemployed  to  manifest  his  innocence; 
and  such  were  the  temper,  wit,  and  address  which  he  dis- 
played, that  had  it  not  been  for  the  sad  cause  of  these  ex- 
ertions, it  would  have  been  one  of  the  most  brilliant  and 
successful  days  of  his  life.  J  Repeatedly  did  he  urge  that 
Cobham  should  be  produced  and  confronted  with  him,  al- 
leging that  a  similar  privilege  had  been  conceded  even  to 
Campion  the  Jesuit;  but  it  was  contested  by  Coke,  and 
negatived  by  the  Lord  Chief  Justice  Popham,  too  justly 
and  expressively  called  by  Camden,  a  "  censorious  man," 
and  who  proved  himself  not  to  be  a  very  wise  one,  by  di- 
vulging the  secret  of  the  refusal  in  his  remark,  "  that  Cob- 
ham,  to  procure  the  acquittal  of  an  old  friend,  might  be 
moved  to  speak  otherwise  than  the  truth."    On  the  part  of 

*  Dudley  Carleton.     Hardwicke  State  Papers,  i.  397. 

f  Wilson,  714.         J  Dudley  Carleton.  Letter  in  Cobbett,  vol.  ii.  p.  47. 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  169 

that  treacnerous  nobleman,  two  contradictory  letters  were 
produced ;  the  one,  confirming  the  charges,  and  adding  to 
them  fresh  particulars ;  the  other  "  declaring,  upon  his  sal- 
vation," that  Ralegh  was  innocent.  This  was  the  last 
evidence  ;  yet  the  subservient  jury  retired  for  a  quarter  of 
an  hour  only,  and  returned  a  verdict  of  guilty ;  a  sentence 
whi  :h  must  have  been  previously  determined ;  for  had  a 
due  and  conscientious  consideration  of  this  case  been  given, 
it  would,  even  by  the  enemies  of  Ralegh,  have  been  con- 
sidered as  one  of  extreme  embarrassment  and  difficulty. 
The  Lord  Chief  Justice  might  well  observe,  m  his  charge, 
that  "  he  had  never  before  seen  the  like  trial,  and  hoped  that 
he  should  never  see  the  like  again."  Raleah,  on  hearing 
the  verdict,  calmly  reiterated  his  denial  of  the  principal 
charges,  and  hoped  that  the  King  would  be  informed  of  the 
wrong  he  had  received  that  day  from  the  attorney.  He 
then  declared  his  submission  to  the  royal  pleasure,  recom- 
mending his  wife,  and  "  son  of  tender  years,  unbrought  up," 
to  his  Majesty's  compassion.  After  a  long  explanatory 
harangue  from  the  Chief  Justice,  in  which  he  told  Ralegh, 
that  his  conceit  "  of  not  confessing  any  thing  was  very  in- 
human and  wicked,"  the  unfortunate  prisoner  was  sen- 
tenced to  be  hanged,  and  afterwards  beheaded,  with  all  the 
usual,  horrible,  and  barbarous  accompaniments,  which 
were,  in  those  days,  thought  necessary  to  the  effective  ex- 
ecution of  the  law.  Sir  Walter  then  addressed  the  Earl 
of  Devonshire,  and  the  other  Lords,  beseeching  them,  by 
their  interest  with  the  King,  to  obtain  a  remission  of  the 
ignominious  mode  of  his  death.  This  they  promised* ;  but 
he  is  said  to  have  procured  also  an  interview  with  the 
Lords  in  private,  and  to  have  again  entreated  that  Cobham 
might  be  produced,  and  might  die  before  him  ;  on  which 
solemn  occasion  he  had,  he  declared,  no  doubt  that  Cobham 
would  retract  all  that  he  had  said.f  He  was  then  con- 
ducted to  the  castle,  to  which  he  returned,  according  to 
the  account  given  by  Sir  Thomas  Overbury,  "  with  an  ad- 
mirable erection,  and  yet  in  such  sort  as  a  condemned  man 
should  do.t" 

It  is  said,  that  some  of  the  jury  who  had  condemned  him, 
were  so  "  touched  in  their  consciences,"  as  to  ask  his  par- 


*  Trial,  21  f  Lodge,  iii.  M6 

X  Overbury's  Arraignment  of  S.  W-  Ralegh,  25. 


170  LIFE  OP  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

don  on  their  knees* ;  but  this  is  scarcely  probable,  since 
the  men  who  gave  such  a  verdict  must  either  have  been 
compelled  by  fear,  or  induced  by  bribery,  to  compromise 
their  sense  of  justice :  and  either  of  these  motives  would 
have  kept  them  silent  after  their  decision.  It  has  also  been 
related  of  Sir  Edward  Coke,  that  when  he  retired,  after  the 
trial,  to  take  the  air  of  the  garden,  and  that  intelligence 
was  brought  to  him  that  Ralegh  was  convicted  of  treason, 
he  felt,  or  affected,  extreme  surprise,  declaring  that  he 
had  himself  only  accused  him  of  misprision  of  treason. 
This  anecdote  has  been  attributed  to  the  pen  of  Carew,  the 
son  of  Sir  Walter  Ralegh ;  but  it  is  neither  well  authen- 
ticated, nor  does  it  appear  to  be  consistent  with  the  con- 
duct and  expressions  of  the  implacable  lawyer  during  the 
trial.  It  is  however  possible,  that  Coke  may  have  perceived 
that  he  had  allowed  himself  too  much  latitude  of  abuse, 
and  that  he  had  injured  himself  in  public  estimation  ;  since, 
in  the  words  of  Ralegh  himself,  in  a  letter  addressed  to 
Sir  Robert  Carr,  "  The  hearing  of  his  cause  had  changed 
enemies  into  friends,  malice  into  compassion,  and  the  minds 
of  the  greatest  number  then  present  into  commiseration 
of  his  estate.f"  Sir  Roger  Aston,  then  in  the  confidential 
employ  of  the  King,  and  the  first  who  carried  the  intelli- 
gence of  Ralegh's  condemnation  to  James,  affirmed,  on  this 
occasion,  "  that  never  had  man  spoken  so  well  in  times 
passed,  nor  would  do  in  times  to  come."  And  his  compan- 
ion, a  Scotchman,  asserted,  "  that  although  he  would,  before 
his  trial,  have  gone  a  thousand  miles  to  see  him  hanged,  he 
would,  ere  he  parted,  have  gone  a  thousand  miles  to  have 
saved  his  life."  In  short,  never,  according  to  the  acknow- 
ledgment even  of  his  enemies,  was  a  man  so  much  loved 
and  so  much  hated,  in  so  short  a  timet ;  and  seldom,  per- 
haps, have  the  advantages  of  moral  courage,  and  of  a  well- 
governed  spirit,  been  manifested  more  conspicuously. 

A  singular  contrast  to  the  admirable  deportment  of  Ra- 
legh was  presented  in  the  conduct  of  Cobham,  who  was 
next  brought  to  play  his  part  before  the  tribunal  which  had 
condemned  his  former  friend.  To  the  indictment  he  lis- 
tened with  fear  and  trembling,  interrupting  the  charges  at 
in  tervals  by  forswearing  certain  particulars,  so  that  he  im 

*  Weldon,  32.  t  Winwood's  Letters. 

t  Sir  Dudley  Carleton's  Letters,   from  the   Hardwicke  Papers.    Sea 
Cobbett,  248. 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  171 

mediately  divulged,  with  the  rashness  of  a  coward,  what 
he  would  affirm  or  deny.  His  doom  was  quickly  decided ; 
for,  although  he  found  means  to  implicate  all  his  friends  in 
the  conspiracy  he  could  not  succeed  in  clearing  himself. 
He  represented  Ralegh  as  the  cause  of  his  being  stirred  up 
to  discontents,  and  he  alluded  to  imaginations,  but  would 
not  allow  any  purposes  of  a  criminal  nature.*  On  being 
questioned  respecting  the  two  letters  which  he  had  written, 
the  one  condemning  the  other  exculpating  Ralegh,  he  de- 
clared that  the  first  letter  was  true,  the  latter  having  been 
gained  from  him  by  a  stratagem,  by  young  Harvey,  who 
was  the  son  of  the  lieutenant  of  the  Tower,  and  was  under 
the  influence  of  Ralegh.  The  peers  immediately  found 
Cobham  guilty ;  and  it  affords  a  strong  presumptive  proof 
in  Ralegh's  favor,  that  the  abject  culprit  pleaded  his  first  con- 
fession as  a  claim  for  pardon,  accompanying  his  petition  with 
long  and  persevering  entreaties  for  life  and  mercy,  which 
were  peremptorily  refused. 

The  high-minded  Grey  was  next  brought  to  the  bar ;  and, 
although  clearly  convicted  of  a  plot  to  seize  the  King's  per- 
son, he  redeemed,  by  his  dauntless  demeanor,  the  character 
of  a  British  peer  from  the  ignominy  which  the  conduct  of 
Cobham  had  brought  upon  his  rank  and  station.  Grey  be- 
gan, with  great  courage,  to  tell  the  lords  commissioners  of 
their  duties,  and  kept  them  from  eight  in  the  morning  until 
eight  in  the  evening  in  "  traverses  and  subterfuges."  He 
conducted  himself  with  the  self-possession  of  a  man,  who, 
from  a  misapprehension  of  his  duties  to  his  country,  con- 
sidered himself  innocent,  and  with  the  energy  of  one  who 
was  determined  not  to  relinquish  life  without  a  struggle. 
He  excused  his  share  in  the  conspiracy,  on  the  ground  of 
his  desiring  to  present  a  petition  for  the  reformation  of 
abuses ;  but  the  evidence  of  Brooke  and  Markham  was  de- 
cisive against  this  part  of  his  defence.  The  presiding  lords 
evinced,  nevertheless,  considerable  reluctance  in  convicting 
one  who  must  have  appeared  to  the  more  experienced  mem- 
bers of  their  number  to  have  been  rather  misguided  by 
false  principles,  than  instigated  by  criminal  motives.  They 
beheld,  also,  in  Grey,  the  young  companion  of  many  of  the 
junior  .members  of  the  aristocracy,  himself  the  represent- 
ative of  one  of  its  proudest  families.     Long  and  painfully 

*  Dudley  Carleton. 


172  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

they  demurred,  and  even  his  enemies  dared  not  to  utter,  in 
open  court,  that  which  they  might  desire  to  urge  in  aggra- 
vation of  his  fault :  whilst  some,  who  deemed  him  guilty, 
"  would  fain  have  dispensed  with  their  consciences  to  have 
shown  him  favor.*"  Yet  he  was  also  condemned ;  and,  on 
being  asked  if  he  had  any  thing  to  allege  why  sentence 
of  death  should  not  be  passed  upon  him,  he  replied :  "  I 
have  nothing  to  say ;"  and  then,  after  a  long  pause,  during 
which,  perhaps,  a  desire  of  life  contended  with  the  mag- 
nanimity of  a  noble  nature,  he  added  these  noble  and  af- 
fecting words :  — "  and  yet  a  word  of  Tacitus  comes  in  tny 
mind,  '  non  eadem  omnibus  decora  ;'  the  house  of  the  Wil- 
tons have  spent  many  lives  in  their  princes'  service,  and 
Grey  cannot  beg  his.  God  send  the  King  a  long  and 
prosperous  reign,  and  to  your  Lordships  all  honor. f"  The 
fete  of  the  remaining  conspirators  excited  but  little  public 
interest.  Brooke,  on  his  trial,  pleaded  a  commission  to  try 
faithful  subjects,  but  was  unable  to  produce  the  document. 
He  was  executed  on  the  fifth  of  November,  in  the  castle 
of  Winchester ;  and,  shortly  before  his  death,  confessed  to 
the  bishop  who  administered  to  him  the  sacrament,  that  he 
had  falsely  accused  Lord  Cobham,  his  brother,  and  Ralegh, 
in  ascribing  to  them  the  treasonable  speeches  which  formed 
the  basis  of  their  accusations.  This  circumstance  is  related 
by  Cecil  himself  in  his  letters,  and  is  accompanied  with  a 
commendation  of  Brooke's  remorse  J ;  it  has  weighed  much 
in  Ralegh's  favor,  not  only  with  his  contemporaries,  but 
with  those  who,  being  removed  at  a  sufficient  distance  of 
time  to  judge  without  partiality  of  his  cause,  have  deemed 
the  very  nature  of  the  evidence  sufficient  to  impugn  the 
justice  of  his  trial.  "  I  would  know,"  says  Sir  John  Hales, 
"  by  what  law  Brooke's  deposition  of  what  the  Lord  Cobham 
had  told  him  of  the  fact,  was  evidence  against  Ralegh  ?  I 
would  know  by  what  statute  the  statutes  of  the  25th  of  Ed- 
ward III.,  and  5th  of  Edward  VI.  are  repealed."  In  short, 
this  celebrated  lawyer,  in  his  work  on  the  magistracy  and 
government  of  England,  pronounces  the  trial  of  Ralegh  to 
be,  on  this  and  other  grounds,  very  irregular  throughout, 
the  accusations  against  him  not  amounting  to  legal  proof.  5 
When  the  proceedings  relative  to  his  own  trial  were 

*  Carleton.  t  Ibid.  Brydges'  Extinct  Peerage,  75 — 79. 

t  Winwood,  ii.  p.  11.  §  Birch,  i.  CO. 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  173 

finally  and  hopelessly  closed,  Ralegh,  with  fortitude  and 
decency,  prepared  to  follow  the  sheriff  to  the  prison,  whence 
he  expected  to  issue  only  to  close  a  life  of  activity  and  of 
vicissitude  on  the  scaffold.  In  following  him  in  imagination 
into  the  gloom  of  confinement,  one  reflection  alone,  ir 
reviewing  his  conduct  as  a  subject,  seems  likely  to  have 
disturbed  the  tranquillity  of  a  conscience  entirely  at  peace, 
with  itself.  In  a  letter  which  he  wrote  to  the  King,  Ralegh 
acknowledged,  before  his  trial,  as  he  had  also  done  to  Cecil 
and  the  Lords  who  were  appointed  to  examine  him,  the 
only  offence  which  could  justly  be  laid  to  his  charge,  that 
of  listening  to  the  proposals  made  by  Cobham  of  a  bribe 
from  Spain,  although  he  declared  that  he  neither  believed 
nor  approved  it  *  It  is,  indeed,  to  be  feared,  that  there  was 
some  deviation  from  the  rules  of  strict  integrity,  induced, 
too  probably,  by  the  temptation  of  turning  his  abilities  and 
influence  to  account ;  for  a  strange  contradiction  existed  in 
the  character  of  Ralegh,  who,  while  he  freely  promoted,  at 
his  own  expense,  the  schemes  which  he  projected  for  the 
extension  of  British  dominion,  was  clear  neither  from  the 
imputation  of  receiving  bribes  from  his  own  countrymen, 
nor  from  the  disposition  to  admit  them  from  foreign  states. 
Avarice,  unguarded  by  a  nice  and  delicate  sense  of  honor, 
was  the  prevailing  vice  of  the  day,  and  few  statesmen 
were,  in  those  times,  exempt  from  stains  upon  their  purity 
of  conduct,  which  would  at  present  consign  persons  in  simi- 
lar stations  to  merited  and  irremediable  disgrace.! 

Whether  engaged  in  mournful  retrospections,  or  in  fear- 
ful anticipations,  Ralegh  had  not  now  the  consolation 
which  was  afterwards  afforded  him  in  the  society  of  his 
distressed  and  devoted  wife.  Although  absent  from  him 
for  whom  she  endured  so  much,  this  unfortunate  lady  re- 
laxed not  in  her  exertions  to  redeem  from  destruction  the 
object  of  her  earliest  affections,  and  the  pride  of  maturei 
years.  Three  years  afterwards,  when  the  King  was  in  all 
his  pomp  and  state,  at  Hampton  Court,  and  when  the  revels 
of  the  gay  and  great  were  at  their  height,  we  read  of  the 
humiliated  and  neglected  Lady  Ralegh  kneeling  to  him 
in  behalf  of  her  husband,  but  passed  in  silence  by  the  Mon- 
arch.:);    That  Ralegh  estimated  her  affection,  and  appre« 

*Cayley's  Life  of  Ralegh,  i.  367.  Also  Ralegh's  Remains,  p.  188. 
\  In  proof  of  this  assertion,  see  note,  Lodge's  III.  vol.  iii.  p.  286. 
X  Lodge,  iii  313. 

P2 


174  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

ciated  the  strength  and  elevation  of  her  character,  is  evi- 
dent from  the  tone  of  the  eloquent  and  pathetic  letter 
which  it  was  almost  his  earliest  care  to  address  to  her  after 
his  trial.*  He  wrote,  indeed,  in  the  first  instance,  to  the 
king  ;f  but  finding  his  petitions  fruitless,  he  now  directea 
to  his  wife  and  to  his  child  every  wish  which  anxious  affec- 
tion could  dictate.  His  earnest  desire  seems  to  have  been, 
that  no  fruitless  sorrows  should  diminish  the  power  of  ex- 
ertion which  the  helpless  orphan  whom  he  expected  to 
eave,  would  fully  require  from  his  surviving  parent. 
"  Let  my  sorrows,"  said  he,  "  go  into  my  grave  with  me, 
and  be  buried  in  the  dust.  And,  seeing  it  is  not  the  will 
of  God  that  ever  I  shall  see  you  more  in  this  life,  bear  it 
patiently,  and  with  a  heart  like  thyself."  He  entreated 
her,  not  by  seclusion  and  fruitless  sorrow,  to  lose  the  bene- 
fits of  exertion  ;  "  thy  mournings  cannot  avail  me :  I  am 
but  dust.  Remember  yoar  poor  child  for  his  father's  sake, 
who  chose  you  and  loved  you  in  his  happiest  time."  Such 
are,  in  part,  the  exhortations  with  which  Ralegh  sought  to 
strengthen  the  resolution,  and  to  sustain  the  spirits  of  one 
whom  he  thought  soon  to  consign  to  the  neglect  and  indif- 
ference of  the  world. 

The  death  of  Ralegh  and  of  the  other  prisoners  was  now 
daily  expected  at  Winchester ;  and,  on  the  ninth  of  De- 
cember the  King,  at  Wilton,  signed  the  warrants  for  the 
execution  of  Cobham,  Grey,  and  Sir  Griffin  Markham; 
Brooke,  Clarke,  Watson,  and  the  two  priests,  having  pre- 
viously suffered.  Meanwhile  the  benefit  of  spiritual  aid 
was  afforded  to  the  condemned  men,  the  Bishop  of  Chi- 
chester being  intrusted  with  the  awful  responsibility  of 
preparing  the  dastard  soul  of  Cobham  for  its  departure 
from  a  state  which  lie  had  too  fondly  valued.}  The  prelate 
who  was  deputed  to  this  difficult  office  was  Dr.  Anthony 
Watson,  who  had  been  the  King's  almoner,  and  had  been 
patronized  by  the  Queen  for  his  talents  as  a  preacher.  He 
was  beloved,  also,  in  his  diocese,  and  bore  so  exemplary  a 
character  for  the  discharge  of  his  duties^  that  there  is  no 
reason  to  suppose  that  he  would  not  endeavor  to  impress 
Cobham  with  a  deep  sense  of  his  unfitness  to  enter  upon 

*  See  Appendix,  L.  t  See  Cayley,  vol.  ii.  p.  31. 

i  Carleton's  Letters.  Cobbett,  vol.  ii.  p.  51. 
§  Nugse  Antique,  ii   1'  ? 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  175 

eternity.  Yet  it  appears  to  have  been  the  chief  solicitude 
of  all  who  were  concerned  in  the  care  of  the  prisoners,  to 
induce  them  to  suffer,  without  contradicting  their  previous 
testimony.  Accordingly,  we  are  told  by  one  who  was  at 
this  time  at  the  very  scene  of  action,*  that  the  reverend 
prelate  "  found  in  Cobham  a  willingness  to  die,  and  a 
readiness  to  die  well;"  expressions  which  are  further  ex- 
plained by  the  words,  "  with  purpose  at  his  death  to  affirm 
as  much  as  he  had  said  against  Ralegh."  It  is  not  unchar- 
itable to  suppose  that  Cobham's  spiritual  guide  found  it  far 
more  easy  to  confirm  him  in  this  resolution,  than  to  move 
him  to  emotions  of  penitence,  or  acts  of  justice.  But  Cob- 
ham  was  reserved  to  a  long  course  of  suffering,  and  to  a 
prostration  both  of  body  and  mind,  which  may  possibly 
have  elevated  and  chastened  his  grovelling  soul. 

The  grave  divine,  to  whose  lot  it,  fell  to  bring  Ralegh  to 
a  contrite  disclosure  of  his  errors,  and,  in  particular,  to  a 
confession  of  his  alleged  treasonable  practices,  was  Doctor 
Thomas  Bilson,  Bishop  of  Winchester.  Sir  John  Harring- 
ton, in  describing  this  prelate  to  the  young  prince  Henry, 
depicts  him  as  "  carrying  prelature  in  his  very  aspect. f" 
He  rose  to  his  eminent  station  solely  by  his  learning,  but 
adopted  means  to  retain  it,  which  cannot  be  justified, 
having  obtained  the  name  of  "  Nullity  Bilson,"  by  his  sub- 
serviency in  devising  a  nullity  of  the  marriage  between 
the  Earl  and  Countess  of  Essex,  in  order  to  accommodate 
Carr,  Earl  of  Somerset,  the  notorious  favorite  of  James  I.  J 
It  was,  probably,  on  account  of  Doctor  Bilson's  classical  and 
general  attainments  that  he  was  commissioned  to  under- 
take the  charge  of  reconciling  Ralegh  to  his  doom ;  for  the 
universal  and  just  opinion  of  Ralegh's  intellectual  superi- 
ority to  other  men,  would  naturally  actuate  the  choice  of 
him  who  was  appointed  to  exert  a  spiritual  influence  over 
his  mind.  Some  similarity  subsisted,  also,  between  the 
pursuits  of  this  divine  and  those  of  Ralegh.  The  reverend 
Doctor  was  not  only  deeply  versed  in  philosophy  and  di- 
vinity, but  in  the  less  important  pursuits  of  poetry  and  the 
dead  languages. 5  He  had  formerly  been  master  of  Win- 
chester school,  and  might  reasonably  be  supposed,  in  hia 
capacity  of  a  teacher,  to  have  looked  closely  into  the  human 

*  Sir  Dudley  Carleton.  t  Nugae,  99. 

I  Note  in  Nugas,  102.  §  Ibid.  101. 


176  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

mind.  Yet  the  Bishop  failed  in  the  main  object  of  his  con- 
ferences with  Ralegh,  whom  he  earnestly  desired  to  cor- 
roborate the  confessions  of  Cobham.  He  acknowledged 
the  distinguished  prisoner,  indeed,  to  be,  with  regard  tc 
"  his  conscience,  well  settled,  and  resolved  to  die  a  Chris- 
tian and  a  good  Protestant ;"  but  "  for  the  point  of  confes- 
sion, he  found  him  so  straitlaced,  that  he  would  yield  to  no 
part  of  Cobham's  accusation ;  only  the  pension,"  he  said, 
"  was  once  mentioned,  but  never  proceeded  in.*"  Thus 
nothing  more  was  elicited  than  that  which  had  already 
transpired. 

Whilst  these  operations  were  going  on,  the  mind  of 
James  I.  was  agitated  by  strange  alternations  of  feeling ;  a 
desire  to  preserve  his  dignity  and  consistency  being  coun- 
terbalanced by  the  vanity  of  appearing  to  act  the  part  of 
mercy  and  forbearance,  which  was  again  checked  by  a  se- 
cret dread  of  the  powerful  mind  and  activity  of  Ralegh, 
whom  he  had  been  skilfully  instructed  by  Cecil  to  regard 
with  apprehension ;  a  lesson  which  James  was,  in  all  in- 
stances, too  ready  to  learn,  and  in  no  haste  to  forget.  The 
Lords  of  the  council,  with  one  accord,  urged  him  to  show 
mercy,  and,  in  this  beginning  of  his  reign,  to  gain  "  the 
title  of  Clemens,  as  well  as  of  Justus."  The  Countess  of 
Pembroke  wrote  to  her  son,  co  guring  him,  as  he  valued 
her  blessing,  to  employ  his  own  credit,  and  that  of  his 
friends,  to  insure  Sir  Walter's  pardon;  and  there  were 
probably  other  persons  of  rank,  who  secretly  felt  an  inter- 
est in  his  safety.  But  there  were  many  individuals  about 
the  court  who  took  a  different  course,  and  one  of  the  King's 
chaplains,  Patrick  Galloway,  disgraced  his  Christian  pro- 
fession by  a  discourse  openly  contemning  remission  of  sins 
and  mercy  as  the  greatest  offences  against  justice.  James, 
in  this  early  period  of  his  reign,  displayed,  however,  on 
this  occasion,  that  jealousy  of  his  prerogative,  which  arose 
from  his  consciousness  that  all  his  power  rested  upon  the 
opinion  of  the  people,  over  whom  he  had  so  recently  as- 
sumed the  reins  of  government. f  He  resolved,  also,  to  en- 
gross, in  his  own  person,  the  full  credit  of  the  course  which 
it  was  his  intention  to  pursue.  Holding  himself,  therefore, 
"  upright  between  two  waters,"  he  took  care  to  inform  the 
Lords,  that  it  in  no  degree  became  them,  as  judges,  to 

*  Sir  D.  CarletorTs  Letters.  f  James  I.    Hume,  8vo.  vi.  121 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  177 

press  for  a  commutation  of  the  sentence,  which  they  had 
themselves  imposed ;  but  that  they  should  rather  desire  the 
execution  of  just  decrees.  Having  thus  silenced  that  por- 
tion of  the  petitioners,  the  King-,  with  a  secret  enjoyment 
of  the  conjectures  which  he  was  creating,  intimated  to  all 
persons  who  presumed  to  advise  him,  that  he  would  "  move 
not  a  whit  the  faster  for  their  driving ;"  sometimes  pretend- 
ing to  lean  to  one  side,  sometimes  to  another,  as  whim  or 
appearances  directed.*  He  signed,  however,  the  warrants 
for  the  execution  of  Grey,  Cobham,  and  Markham,  at  Wil- 
ton, where  the  Court  then  remained ;  and  these  necessary 
documents  were  sent  to  the  authorities  at  Winchester, 
two  days  previous  to  the  morning  assigned  for  the  death 
of  the  prisoners.  Until  the  appointed  time,  their  doom  was 
considered  as  certain,  and  the  whole  Court  expected  to 
hear  that  the  unhappy  men  had  suffered,  until  nine  o'clock 
on  the  Friday  morning,  when  the  King  summoned  his 
council,  and  informed  them  that  he  had  sent  a  warrant  the 
day  before  to  countermand  the  execution.  To  this  act  of 
grace,  Cecil,  upon  "  his  credit  and  reputation,"  declares 
"  no  soul  living  to  be  privy,  the  messenger  excepted,"  who 
conveyed  the  royal  command  to  Sir  Benjamin  Tichborne. 
It  was  extolled  as  a  "  rare  and  unheard-of  act  of  clemen- 
cy,!" which  the  most  enthusiastic  admiration  could  not 
sufficiently  commend.  Such  were  the  sentiments  of  the 
adulatory  throng  who  alternately  flattered  and  satirized 
King  James;  to  our  present  improved  notions  of  humanity 
and  of  justice,  the  whole  proceeding  seems  to  have  been 
arranged  with  a  contrivance  of  effect  almost  contemptible, 
and  with  a  disregard  of  its  impression  upon  the  feelings  of 
others,  very  nearly  amounting  to  cruelty. 

Whilst  the  King  was  receiving  at  Wilton  encomiums 
upon  his  mercy,  the  unhappy  prisoners  at  Winchester  were 
still  ignorant  of  the  change  in  their  prospects,  a  change 
which,  by  giving  life,  to  some  gave  only  a  prolongation  of 
misery.  In  pursuance  of  this  sentence,  Markham  was 
brought  to  the  scaffold,  where  "  one  might  see  in  his  face 
the  very  picture  of  sorrow,:);"  and  he  much  lamented  his 
hard  fate,  in  having  been  deluded  with  hopes  of  pardon, 
now,  as  he  thought,  proved  to  be  groundless.     Yet,  with  a 

*  Hardwicke  State  Papers,  i.  377. 

i  Winvvood's  Mem.— Letter  of  Cecil,  vol.  ii.  p.  11.  Carleton. 


178  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

magnanimity  worthy  of  a  better  cause,  he  threw  away  a 
napkin,  given  him  by  some  pitying  hand,  and  refused  to 
cover  his  face,  saying,  that  he  could  look  upon  death  with- 
out blushing.  He  then  took  leave  of  his  friends,  and  pre- 
pared to  die,  first  offering  up  his  devotions,  according  tc 
his  own  fashion.  Meanwhile  the  King's  messenger,  a 
Scottish  gentleman,  and  one  of  the  grooms  of  the  royal 
chamber,  stepped  forward,  and  drawing  the  sheriff  on  one 
side,  the  execution  was  delayed,  and  Markham  left  on  the 
scaffold  to  pursue  the  reflections  incident  to  his  awful  and 
singular  situation.  After  a  short  interval,  the  sheriff  re- 
turned, and  informed  him  that  he  was  to  have  a  respite  of 
two  hours,  in  order  to  prepare  himself  more  completely  for 
death :  he  was  led  into  Prince  Arthur's  hall,  in  which  he 
was  locked,  and  left  solitary,  in  that  state  of  suspense, 
which  has  justly  been  considered  as  the  greatest  mental 
torture  that  human  nature  can  endure. 

The  Lord  Grey  was  next  conducted  to  the  scaffold. 
This  young  nobleman  had  passed  the  time  intervening  be- 
tween his  sentence  and  its  execution,  in  the  exercise  of 
those  devotions,  the  spirit  of  which  had  enabled  him  to 
brave  his  fate  with  a  magnanimous  composure.  Upheld, 
like  most  persons  of  his  persuasion,  by  a  sense  of  the  as- 
cendency of  religious  hopes  over  all  other  considerations, 
Grey  manifested  a  degree  of  calm  unconcern  towards  this 
close  of  his  mortal  career,  which  might  in  others  have 
been  mistaken  for  callous  indifference.  It  was  remarked 
that  he  neither  ate  nor  drank  less,  nor  slept  worse,  than  he 
was  wont  to  do  in  happier  and  less  momentous  times.  It 
must,  indeed,  have  softened  the  sternest  hearts  to  have 
beheld  this  last  scion  of  a  noble  house  approach  the  scaf- 
fold, surrounded  by  a  band  of  young  courtiers,  and  sup- 
ported on  each  side  by  the  beloved  friends  of  his  youth 
and  prosperity.  Yet,  if  this  sight  were  calculated  to  move 
the  pity  of  the  beholders,  the  high  bearing  of  the  unfor- 
tunate Grey  was  certain  to  receive  their  admiration,  for  in 
his  countenance  there  shone  a  gaiety  and  spirit  which 
might  have  suited  the  deportment  of  a  young  and  happy 
bridegroom. 

Great  compassion  had  been  excited,  and  considerable 
interest  exerted  for  this  unfortunate  nobleman,  and  his  con- 
duct, both  at  his  trial  and  his  execution,  was  the  more 
admired  as  contrasted  with  that  of  Cobham  ;  although,  by 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  179 

some  of  the  obsequious  courtiers,  his  careless  and  high 
bearing  had  been  termed  pride  and  obstinacy,  in  compli- 
ance with  the  notions  in  those  days  prevalent  of  entire 
and  passive  obedience.*  It  was  justly  thought  that  he  had 
a  claim  upon  the  King,  from  having  been  formerly  engaged 
in  the  fleet  against  the  Armada ;  but  this  circumstance,  in 
the  present  disposition  of  James  towards  Spain,  might  be 
viewed  in  an  unfavorable  light.  The  Prince  Palatine, 
who  afterwards  married  the  Princess  Elizabeth,  had  en- 
treated the  King,  before  his  departure  for  Bohemia,  to 
spare  the  life  of  this  young  nobleman  ;  but  James,  in  the 
full  dignity  of  his  prerogative,  dismissed  the  request  with 
these  words,  "  Son,  when  I  come  into  Germany,  I  promise 
not  to  ask  you  for  any  of  your  prisoners.!"  When  Grey 
ascended  the  scaffold,  he  was  ignorant  of  the  respite  of 
Markham,  and  probably  thought  that  his  fate  was  inevita- 
ble. Falling  upon  his  knees,  he  followed,  with  great  de- 
votion, but  in  the  affected  fashion  of  those  of  his  persua- 
sion, a  prayer  made  for  him  by  one  of  his  attendant  priests, 
and  added  another,  which  lasted  an  hour,  of  his  own  com- 
position, for  the  King.  When  all  was  prepared,  he  was 
likewise  told  by  the  sheriff  that  the  order  of  the  execution 
was  changed,  and  that  the  Lord  Cobham  was  to  die  before 
him.  He  was  then  led  also  to  Prince  Arthur's  hall  in 
a  state  of  astonishment  which  can  scarcely  be  imagined, 
and  which  none  would  wish  to  experience.  Cobham,  who 
had  by  this  time  summoned  a  sufficient  portion  of  courage 
to  retrieve  his  former  appearance,  was  now  brought  upon 
the  stage,  and  so  outprayed  the  minister,  and  over-acted 
his  part,  that  it  was  coarsely  observed,  "  he  had  a  good 
mouth  in  a  cry,  but  was  nothing  single."  He  occasioned 
some  disappointment  to  many  of  the  spectators,  who  ex- 
pected considerable  diversion  from  the  total  deficiency  of 
all  manly  resolution  which  his  character  and  conduct  im- 
plied. He  asserted  the  truth  of  all  that  he  had  deposed 
against  Ralegh,  affirming  all  that  he  had  said  of  him  "  upon 
the  hope  of  his  soul's  resurrection ;"  and  after  acknow- 
ledging his  offence,  and  praying  forgiveness  of  the  King, 
prepared  to  take  his  farewell,  when  the  sheriff  again  in- 
terposed, and  told  him  that  he  was  to  be  confronted  with 
some  of  the  prisoners.     Grey  and  Markham  were  then 

♦Carleton.  f  Brydges,  75— 79. 


180  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

Drought  back  to  the  scaffold,  looking  on  each  other  "  like 
men  beheaded  and  met  again  in  the  next  world."  To  close 
this  singular  scene,  they  were  required  by  the  sheriff"  to 
acknowledge  the  heinousness  of  their  offences,  the  justice 
of  their  trials  and  sentences,  to  which  they  all  assented. 
Then  the  sheriff  desired  them  to  admire  the  mercy  of  theii 
prince,  who  had  countermanded  their  executions,  and 
given  them  their  lives,  and  the  streets  rang  with  plaudits 
which  reached  even  from  the  castle  to  the  town,  where  it 
was  echoed  with  similar  effusions  of  public  joy.  But 
happy  would  it  have  been  for  some  of  these  unfortunate 
men,  had  their  existence  been  terminated  on  the  scaffold 
at  Winchester.  The  gallant  and  beloved  Lord  Grey, 
whom  even  the  King  allowed  to  be  "  a  noble  spirited 
young  fellow,*"  languished,  like  an  imprisoned  eagle  in 
his  cage,  and  died  in  the  Tower  in  1614.  He  left  no  heir 
to  his  estates,  which  were  sold  and  divided  among  other 
families ;  part  remaining  attached  to  Wilton  castle,  part 
being  appropriated  to  Guy's  hospital,  and  a  portion,  proba- 
bly the  greater,  falling  into  the  hands  of  George  Villiers, 
Duke  of  Buckingham,  the  favorite  of  King  James  in  after 
times,  f  The  career  of  Cobham  was,  to  our  human  com- 
prehension, in  strict  accordance  with  that  sense  of  retri- 
butive justice  which  God  has  implanted  in  the  mind  of 
man.  Sacrificing  so  much  for  liberty  and  for  wealth,  he 
continued  a  prisoner,  and  became  poor;  abandoning  and 
vilifying  his  friend,  he  was  himself  abandoned,'  even  to  the 
lowest  destitution,  and  sunk  into  infamy,  compared  to  which 
the  forgetfulness  and  neglect  of  mankind  appeared  almost 
as  mercy.  He  was  confined  for  many  years  in  the  Tower, 
and,  it  is  said,  afterwards  re-examined  at  the  request  of 
the  Queen  and  of  Sir  Walter  Ralegh ;  when  he  entirely 
exonerated  Ralegh  from  the  _  charges  which  he  had  been 
the  chief  instrument  of  affixing  to  him.  He  survived 
Ralegh  a  few  months  only,  living  to  see  the  web  which  he 
had  once  woven,  again  ensnare  the  gifted  and  lamented 
victim  of  his  machinations.  The  days  of  Cobham  were 
ended  in  a  garret  in  the  Minories ;  a  miserable  apartment, 
to  which  there  was  no  access  except  by  a  ladder,  and  be- 
longing to  a  poor  woman  who  had  formerly  been  his  laun- 
dress.    This  despised,  unpitied,  and  deserted  being,  died, 


■  Carleton.  t  Brydges'  Extinct  Peerage,  75. 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  181 

almost,  from  want  of  food.*  Such  was  the  termination  of 
that  life,  for  which  he  had  sacrificed  truth,  friendship,  and 
reputation. 

Whilst  the  public  mind  had  been  alternately  chagrined 
and  diverted  by  the  late  proceedings,  the  state  of  astonish- 
ment and  conjecture  in  which  Ralegh  learned  the  progress 
of  events,  can  hardly  be  conceived.  After  remaining  at 
Winchester  castle  for  a  month  after  his  condemnation,  it  is 
natural  to  suppose  that  some  hopes  of  mercy  must  have 
entered  into  his  calculations  of  the  future,  to  cheer  that 
dark  prospect.  On  the  day  of  the  solemn  farce  which 
James  thought  proper  to  permit,  Ralegh  was  stationed  at  a 
window  of  his  prison,  where  he  could  gather  that  some  sin- 
gular revolution  in  his  destiny  had  taken  place ;  but  the 
meaning  of  the  change  was  still  a  matter  of  wonder,  and 
of  anxious  inquiry,  for  it  was  the  contrivance  of  the  King, 
that  the  boon  of  life  should  be  accorded  to  the  unhappy 
prisoners,  after  a  struggle,  in  which  the  bitterness  of  death 
might  be  fully  experienced.  But  the  hopelessness  of  con- 
firmed imprisonment  quickly  returned ;  and  Ralegh,  with 
his  companions  in  misfortune,  was  remanded  to  the  Tower 
of  London,  there  to  remain  during  the  King's  pleasure.f 

It  was  in  this  gloomy  retirement  that  Ralegh  expe- 
rienced the  true  benefits  of  those  resources  which  the 
world  cannot  taint  with  the  infection  of  her  influence ;  do- 
mestic affection  was  his  consolation,  philosophy  his  solace, 
literature  his  employment.  He  was  re-conducted  to  his 
prison,  under  the  guard  of  Sir  William  Wade,  who  had 
first  escorted  him  to  Winchester.  Between  this  person 
and  Cecil,  a  constant  communication  existed,  the  chief  sub- 
ject of  which  appears  to  have  been,  at  this  time,  the  condition, 
conduct,  and  pursuits  of  the  state  prisoners  under  the  charge 
of  Wade,  but  especially  those  suspected  of  being  concerned 
in  Watson's  conspiracy.  We  are  not,  from  any  documents, 
apprized  whether  Ralegh  entertained  any  suspicion  of 
Wade's  fair  dealing  towards  him ;  but  it  seems  probable 
that  the  natural  impetuosity  of  the  unhappy  captive's  dispo- 
sition prevailed  over  his  patience,  so  as  to  render  him  un- 
just towards  his  keeper,  for  in  the  course  of  his  imprison 
ment,  the  following  passage  is  found  relating  to  him,  pre- 

*  Osborne's  Traditional  Memoirs,  King  James  I.  ed.  1701. 
f  Hardwicke  Papers. 

Q 


182  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

served  in  the  Hatfield  MSS.  in  a  letter  addressed  by  Wade 
to  Cecil : — 

.  ,  -  "  My  Lord  Treasurer  and  my  Lord  of  Devon- 
iWftS  '  smre  me^  at  t-ne  Tower  on  Monday  at  three  of 
the  clock  in  the  afternoon,  and  gave  me  my 
oath.  Though  Sir  Walter  Ralegh  used  some  speech  of 
(lis  dislike  of  me  the  day  before,  yet  sithence,  he  doth  ac- 
knowledge his  error,  and  seemeth  to  be  very  well  sat- 
isfied." 

It  is  possible  that  Ralegh  may  have  distrusted  the  repre- 
sentations which  he  concluded  that  Wade  would  dispatch 
to  Cecil ;  for  about  this  time,  Wade,  as  it  appears  from  the 
conclusion  of  a  letter  in  the  State  Paper  Office,  addressed 
to  Cecil,  was  pleading  for  the  fulfilment  of  some  promise 
which  the  late  Queen  had  made  to  him,  relative  to  some 
advantageous  appointment ;  and  that  he  earnestly  solicited 
the  interest  of  Cecil  with  the  King,  to  forward  this  affair. 
ft  is  therefore  possible,  and  perhaps  in  those  days  of  undis- 
guised corruption,  but  too  probable,  that  Wade  may  have 
thought  it  his  interest  to  appear  unfavorably  disposed  to 
Ralegh  in  the  sight  of  Cecil,  and  that  Ralegh  may  have 
divined  this  disposition  to  censure  him  on  the  part  of  his 
watchful  keeper.  In  the  letters  from  Wade  to  Cecil,  pre- 
served in  the  State  Paper  Office,  the  guilt  of  Ralegh  is 
implied,  and  an  unfavorable  construction  placed  upon  every 
circumstance  relating  to  him ;  yet,  no  single  circumstance 
is  stated  which  could  confirm  the  accusations  against  him, 
although  it  is  evident  that  there  were  the  most  earnest  and 
incessant  endeavors  to  substantiate  those  charges  by  any 
heedless  expression  which  might  be  drawn  from  him.  This 
fact,  whilst  it  strongly  argues  the  innocence  of  Ralegh,  is 
favorable,  at  the  same  time,  to  the  integrity  of  Wade's 
representations,  and  accounts,  perhaps,  in  some  measure, 
for  the  lenient  measures  afterwards  adopted  towards  the 
unfortunate  prisoner. 

Some  society  was  allowed  to  Ralegh  in  the  course  of  the 
first  year  after  his  return  to  the  Tower;  and  he  had  the 
inestimable  comfort,  chequered  probably  by  many  bitter 
emotions,  of  receiving  his  wife,  and  then  only  son,  within 
the  precincts  of  his  melancholy  abode.  He  was  allowed, 
also,  in  common  with  several  other  persons,  to  have  access  to 
Cobham's  apartment ;  and  several  of  his  own  former  domes- 
tics, Gilbert  Hawthorn,  a  preacr   :,  two  medical  attendant* 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH  183 

his  steward  of  Sherborn,  and  one  or  two  other  individuals, 
vvere  permitted  to  repair  to  him  at  the  necessary  seasons. 
"  The  door  of  his  chamber,"  says  Sir  William  Wade, 
"  being  always  open  all  the  day  long-  to  the  garden,  which 
indeed  is  the  only  garden  the  lieutenant  hath.  And 
in  the  garden  he  hath  converted  a  little  hen-house  to  a 
still-house,  where  he  doth  spend  his  time  all  the  day  in 
distillations.*"  Thus  engaged,  Ralegh  made  sufficient  pro- 
gress in  chemistry,  to  obtain,  in  those  days,  a  high  reputa- 
tion for  skill  in  the  compounding  of  a  valuable  nostrum, 
called  by  his  contemporaries  his  cordial,  and  used  by  the 
celebrated  Robert  Boyle  with  great  effect.f  A  list  of  the 
chemical  processes  in  which  Ralegh  thus  occupied  the 
tedious  hours  of  imprisonment,  and,  perhaps,  succeeded  in 
obliterating  painful  recollections,  is  still  in  existence  in 
manuscriptj  ;  and  it  might  probably  afford  to  the  chemical 
antiquarian  a  curious  test  of  the  comparative  progress  of 
knowledge  in  that  branch  of  philosophy,  to  which  the  most 
eminent  men  of  the  seventeenth  century  may  be  supposed 
to  have  advanced. 

His  first  care,  on  establishing  himself  within  that  which 
he  might  reasonably  expect  to  be  his  final  residence,  was  to 
supply  himself  with  such  humble  means  of  prosecuting  his 
beloved  sciences,  as  the  indulgence  of  his  keepers,  or  the 
remnant  of  his  own  ruined  fortunes,  would  allow  him  to  ob- 
tain. It  may  afford  both  instruction  and  encouragement  to  the 
humble  and  destitute  laborer  in  the  pursuit  of  knowledge, 
to  learn,  with  what  scanty  materials  and  limited  space  the 
great  Ralegh  prosecuted  the  studies  commenced  in  happier 
days. 

It  has  been  lamented  by  an  ingenious  biographer  of  Ra- 
legh, that  the  anecdotes  of  his  hours  of  confinement  are 
few,  and  that  period  comparatively  involved  in  a  tantaliz- 
ing obscurity.  5  Successive  investigations  have  contributed 
but  little  to  remedy  this  cause  of  regret ;  but,  in  the  State 
Paper  Office,  a  very  interesting  document  remains,  en- 
dorsed in  Cecil's  hand-writing,  entitled  "  The  Judgment  of 
Sir  Walter  Ralegh's  Case."     This  appears  to  have  been  a 

*  Birch's  Collections  in  Brit.  Museum,  cxxi.  4160. 
t  Aubrey's  MSS.     See  Oxford  edition  of  Ralegh's  Works,  1829.    Ap 
pendix,  vol.  viii. 
t  Ayscough's  Cat  Brit.  Mus.  4E2.  §  Cayley,  ii.  38. 


184  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

memorial  addressed  to  the  great  man  in  power,  in  favor  of 
the  unhappy  prisoner,  and  conveys  such  an  impression  of 
his  bodily  sufferings  as  may,  it  is  to  be  hoped,  have  moved 
the  heart  of  the  prosperous  minister.*  From  this  account 
it  seems  that  Ralegh  was  afflicted  either  with  rheumatism 
T  v/ith  the  dire  effects  of  incipient  palsy,  having  been 
seized  on  the  left  side  with  an  extreme  coldness  and  numb- 
ness, and  his  speech  impeded  so  that  an  utter  loss  of  it  was 
apprehended  by  his  medical  attendants.  It  was,  therefore, 
recommended  by  Dr.  Turner,  one  of  his  ordinary  physi- 
cians, that  Sir  Walter  should  be  removed  from  the  cold 
apartment  which  he  had  hitherto  occupied  into  a  warmer 
apartment,  that  which  he  had  built  adjoining  the  Still 
House  being  particularly  specified  as  proper  for  his  condi- 
tion and  comforts,  f  This  letter,  to  which  no  date  is  affixed, 
may  be  assigned,  in  all  probability,  to  the  year  1604  or 
1605.  No  memorial  has  transpired  to  show  if  the  indul- 
gence requested  were  granted.  On  the  contrary,  but  lit- 
tle favor  appears  to  have  been  shown  to  Ralegh  during  the 
two  or  three  first  years  of  his  imprisonment.  By  a  letter 
recently  discovered,!  and  addressed  by  him  to  the  King,  it 
is  obvious  that  his  feelings  were  insulted,  his  reputation 
injured,  and  his  comforts  abridged,  in  many  grievous  in- 
stances. The  seal  of  the  duchy  of  Cornwall  was  demanded 
of  him,  which,  in  compliance  with  the  King's  command,  he 
resigned,  giving  it  into  the  hands  of  Lord  Cecil  to  restore 
it  to  the  sovereign. §  But,  whilst  surrendering  the  pledge 
of  his  high  employments,  Ralegh  failed  not  to  remind  his 
Majesty  that  it  was  by  the  favor  of  his  predecessor  Queen 
Elizabeth  that  he  had  been  authorized  to  assume  the  im- 
portant offices  which  he  held  as  Chancellor  of  the  Duchy, 
and  Warden  of  the  Stannaries.  He  declared,  in  solemn 
terms,  his  faith  to  James,  and  his  dependence  on  his  mercy 
alone.  Unhappily,  he  addressed  himself  to  one  too  much 
alienated  from  him,  and  too  greatly  prejudiced  by  the  in- 
sinuations of  others,  to  listen  to  his  petition  with  any  emo- 
tions of  compassion.  Yet,  whilst  at  this  distance  of  time 
some  passages  of  this  letter  are  perused,  it  is  difficult  to 
imagine,  that  James  can  have  rejected,  without  some  re- 

*  The  original  is  printed  now,  for  the  first  time,  in  the  Appendix. 
f  Appendix,  L.  &  M. 

X  Also  in  the  Stats  Paper  Office,  and  n  >w  first  printed  in  the  Appen 
lix,  O. 
§  Ibid. 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  185 

tenting,  the  petition  of  so  accomplished  a  petitioner,  who, 
whilst  feeling'  that  his  corporeal  and  mental  vigor  declined 
under  the  pressure  of  his  calamities,  entreated  the  King 
not  to  keep  him  in  restraint  until  "  the  powers  both  of  his 
body  and  mind  should  be  so  enfeebled,"  that  "  it  had  been 
happier  for  him  to  have  died  long  since."  With  a  humil- 
ity resulting  from  a  spirit  broken  by  the  virulence  of  ene- 
mies, and  by  the  desertion  of  friends,  he  implored  the  King 
to  have  compassion  on  him  whilst  he  had  yet  "  limbs  and 
eyes"  to  do  him  service,  entreating  the  "Lord  of  all  power 
and  justice  to  strike  him  with  the  greater  misery  of  body 
and  soul"  if  he  failed  in  fidelity  to  his  sovereign.  Such 
were  the  affecting,  and,  perhaps,  abject  terms  in  which  the 
unfortunate  Ralegh  endeavored  to  obtain  the  boon  of  a  ces- 
sation from  persecution.  The  powerful  expressions  of  his 
own  pen  portray,  with  a  melancholy  force,  the  dejection 
and  dread  into  which  he  sank  upon  seeing  the  renewed  at- 
tempts which  were  made  to  ruin  his  earthly  prospects. 

On  finding  all  applications  for  mercy  fruitless,  Ralegh 
appears  to  have  wisely  devoted  himself  to  those  sources  of 
consolation,  of  which  the  injustice  of  men  could  not  de- 
prive him.  The  extent  of  his  acquirements  in  literature 
and  science  furnished  him  with  a  fund  of  constant  employ- 
ment, in  his  graver  hours,  the  appetite  for  knowledge,  hap- 
pily for  human  nature,  "  growing  by  what  it  feeds  on."  He 
had  the  advantage  also  of  being  able  to  vary  his  pursuits 
from  grave  to  gay,  and  of  being  able  to  relax  into  amuse- 
ment without  the  necessity  of  descending  into  frivolity. 
But  of  his  favorite  recreations,  music  and  painting  were  prob- 
ably the  only  resources  which  could  be  introduced  into  the 
bounded  and  austere  inclosure  of  his  prison  limits.*  The  cul- 
tivation of  plants,  and  the  arrangement  of  a  garden,  in  which 
he  delighted  and  excelled,  was  precluded,  or,  at  least,  its  pride 
and  pleasure  were  at  an  end  ;  for  who  can  cherish  the  soil 
with  which  slavery  is  associated?  Of  the  enjoyments  of  so- 
ciety he  could  taste  but  a  very  moderate  portion,  and  even  that 
small  portion  would  necessarily  be  alloyed  by  the  absence 
of  comforts,  by  the  contrast  with  former  days,  by  the  dread 

*  Sir  Walter  Ralegh  was  not  the  only  member  of  his  family  who  wu 
distinguished  for  his  musical  talents.  His  brother  Carew  played  upon  tlM 
olpharion,  an  instrument  somewhat  resembling  a  lute,  and  sang  all 
well.     Aubrey's  MSS.  in  the  Ashmolean  Museum,  Oxford  edition  of  R» 
egh's  Works,  vol.  viii.  p.  743. 


186 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 


of  surveillance,  and  the  danger  of  unrestrained  communi- 
cation within  a  prison.  But,  although,  from  the  happinesa 
of  the  free,  Ralegh  was  precluded,  he  could  yet  avail  him- 
self of  the  consolations  of  which  innocence  is  never  desti- 

■ifinn  tute.  Soon  after  the  commencement  of  his  long 
captivity  his  wife  and  son  were  permitted  to  join 

w,,  him,  and  in  the  ensuing  year  the  birth  of  another 
son  added  a  new  member  to  the  small  and  oppressed 
family.  This  child  was  christened  Carew,  probably  in  honor 
of  Lord  Carew,  a  relation  and  intimate  friend  of  Ralegh's, 
and  afterwards  an  intercessor  for  him  with  the  King ;  Ca- 
rew was  the  only  one  of  Sir  Walter's  two  sons  that  was 
destined  to  survive  him.  The  works  which  Ralegh  began, 
and  in  some  instances  completed,  were  numerous,  and  of 
the  most  varied  kind :  of  these,  the  most  elaborate  and  re- 
markable is  his  History  of  the  World,  which  he  published 
in  1614.  Of  this  stupendous  production,  whilst  it  has  been 
observed  by  some  that  its  "  only  defect  (or  default  rather) 
is  that  it  wanteth  the  half  thereof* ;"  it  has  been  thought  by 
a  far  better  judgef  "  to  afford  the  best  model  of  the  ancient 
style"  of  composition.  Never,  perhaps,  in  our  language  has 
so  copious  and  extended  a  work  been  composed  with  so  little 
apparent  difficulty  to  the  author ;  and,  whilst  the  learned 
have  been  excited  to  admiration  by  the  vast  stores  of  eru- 
dition which  its  pages  unfold,  the  less  enlightened  reader 
cannot  fail  to  rise  from  the  careful  perusal  of  its  pages 
without  his  knowledge  of  human  nature  being  improved 
and  verified,  and  his  desire  for  virtuous  distinction  stimu- 
lated. It  contributes  greatly  to  the  interest  of  this  compo- 
sition, that  the  writer  has  identified  himself  with  many  of 
its  most  striking  passages,  in  the  course  of  its  ponderous 
dissertations  and  minute  details.  We  refer  continually  to 
the  historian,  whose  opinions,  his  personal  observation,  his 
experience,  and  tastes,  were  called  into  active  requisition 
in  the  compilation  of  its  pages.  Ralegh,  in  relating  the  ac- 
tions of  the  warlike  and  the  exertions  of  the  wise,  writes 
with  the  spirit  of  an  enthusiast  in  the  cause  of  virtue,  and 
with  the  discrimination  of  a  veteran  in  the  fields  of  fame. 
Neither  is  his  generous  ardor  chilled  by  the  cold  and  scep- 
tical views  of  religion  with  which  some  excellent  authors, 
under  the  plea  of  philosophical  moderation,  have  cooled 


*  Fuller's  Worthies. 


\  Hume. 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  187 

down  the  expression  of  every  noble  sentiment.  He  gives 
nature  her  scope,  and  aims  not  at  the  fruitless  task  of 
weighing  the  utility  of  every  splendid  action  by  the  men- 
tal scale  which  has  been  adopted  in  modern  times.  It  is 
still  more  important  to  observe,  that  his  proper  appreciation 
of  the  actions  of  men,  and  his  love  of  moral  excellence, 
sprang  from  the  right  source.  It  is  obvious  that  he  must 
have  been  deeply  imbued  with  the  force  and  importance  of 
religious  truth,  and,  in  the  progress  of  his  labors,  had  God 
in  all  his  thoughts.  For  this  happy  and  truly  enviable  state 
of  mind,  for  that  elevation  of  the  character  which  proceeds 
from  a  prostration  of  the  soul  to  God,  for  that  strength 
which  arises  out  of  weakness,  Ralegh  was  indebted  to  the 
season  of  adversity  which  afforded  him  the  opportunity,  and 
impressed  him  with  the  proper  spirit  to  execute  this  work. 
Lord  Bacon,  in  alluding  to  the  dangerous  gifts  of  fortune, 
has  beautifully  remarked,  that  "  afflictions  only  level  those 
mole-hills  of  pride,  plow  the  heart,  and  make  it  fit  for 
wisdom  to  sow  the  seed,  and  for  grace  to  bring  forth  her 
increase.  Happy  if  that  man,  both  in  regard  of  heavenly 
and  earthly  wisdom,  that  is  thus  wounded  to  be  cured  ;  thus 
broken  to  be  made  straight ;  thus  made  acquainted  with  his 
own  imperfections,  that  he  may  be  perfected.*" 

Like  many  other  works  of  value  and  erudition,  the  His- 
tory of  the  World  was,  according  to  some  accounts,  ne- 
glected by  the  literary  men  of  the  time.  Perhaps  the  dis- 
grace and  present  obscurity  of  its  author,  the  neglect  of 
the  court,  or  its  own  bulk,  and  in  the  early  part,  the  diffi- 
culty of  treating  the  subject  in  a  popular  manner,  may  have 
contributed  to  the  result,  which  is  said  to  have  proved  a 
source  of  deep  mortification  to  Ralegh.  A  few  days  be- 
fore his  d^ath,  he  iy  stated  to  have  sent  for  Walter  Burre, 
who  printed  his  book,  and  to  have  inquired  how  the  work 
had  sold  ?  To  this  question  he  received  the  mortifying  re- 
ply, "  So  slowly,  hat  it  has  undone  me."  Upon  hearing  this 
intelligence,  Sir  vValter  rose,  and  reaching  from  his  desk  a 
continuation  of  ihe  work,  threw  it  into  the  fire,  saying  to 
Burre,  "  The  second  volume  shall  undo  no  more :  this  un- 
grateful work!  is  unworthy  of  it  '  This  anecdote,  although 
characteristi ;  of  Sir  Walter  Ralegh,  who  was  naturally 
passionate  and  impetuous,  rests  upon  no  authority  sufficient 

*  Bacon's  Letter  to  Coke  in  Stephen's  edition  of  Bacon's  Letters,  127. 


188  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALECH. 

to  stamp  it  as  more  deserving  of  credit  than  the  relations 
which  are  commonly  told  of  all  eminent  persons,  and  for 
the  truth  of  which  we  are  to  rely  on  the  particular  veracity 
of  the  narrator. 

In  his  scientific  and  literary  pursuits  Ralegh  found  a 
young  and  liberal  patron  in  Prince  Henry  of  Wales,  the 
heir  apparent  to  the  throne.  The  virtues  of  this  youth 
were  universally  extolled,  and,  perhaps,  with  greater 
earnestness,  from  the  contrast  which  every  indication  of 
character  presented  to  that  of  his  well-intentioned  but 
almost  pusillanimous  father.  It  was,  however,  the  desire 
of  James  that  his  first-born  should,  in  all  important  respects, 
resemble  himself,  and  especially  in  that  instinctive  appre- 
hension of  plots,  of  which  James  especially  boasted.  In 
such  discoveries,  he  prayed  that  the  Prince  "  might  be  his 
heir ;"  and  particularly  commended  any  detection  of  impos- 
ture which  it  was  the  lot  of  the  youth  to  effect.* 

But  daily  experience  proves  that  there  are  some  minds 
which  rise  not  only  superior  to  the  force  of  circumstances, 
but  almost  in  defiance  of  perpetual  incitement  to  error. 
Witnessing  in  one  parent  perpetual  manifestations- of  ab- 
surdity, and  beholding  in  the  other  nothing  but  insignifi- 
cance, it  was  the  happy  lot  of  Prince  Henry,  as  far  as  his 
short  life  extended,  to  unite  the  best,  or,  the  only  good  quali- 
ties of  both  parents.  To  the  love  of  learning,  and  simple- 
heartedness  of  King  James,  he  joined  the  courtesy  and 
good-nature  of  Queen  Anne,  escaping,  as  it  were  by  a 
miracle,  the  pompous  vanity  of  the  one,  and  the  unthinking 
frivolity  of  the  other  parent,  f  Towards  this  young  prince, 
justly  denominated  by  his  contemporaries,  "the  flower  of 
his  house,}"  Ralegh  expressed  an  enthusiastic  admiration : 
and,  indeed,  the  mind  of  Henry  Stuart  appears  in  many 
instances  to  have  been  congenial  to  that  of  the  illustrious 
prisoner,  to  whom  he  extended  his  favor.   Unlike  the  King 

*  Birch's  Life  of  Prince  Henry.  In  James's  instructions  to  his  son,  hf 
particularly  commends  his  discovery  of  a  female  impostor.     Ibid.  38. 

f  This  queen  was  mistress  of  Somerset  House,  which  she  would  fain 
have  named  Denmark  House,  and  so  it  was  called  by  her  people  during 
her  life.  In  this  palace  she  held  a  continual  masquerade.  She  and  her 
ladies,  like  so  many  sea-nymphs  or  nereids,  continually  delighting  all 
beholders  by  the  display  of  new  dresses.  The  King  had  his  favorites  in 
one  place,  she  in  another:  she  loved  the  Earl  of  Pembroke,  he  patron- 
ized the  Earl  of  Montgomery,  his  brother.  Wilson's  Life  of  King  James 
I.  C85. 

I  Win  wood's  Mem.  iii.  410. 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  189 

his  father,  the  prince  loved  the  semblance  and  mimicry  of 
war;  and  from  his  delight  in  tilting,  the  barriers,  and  other 
martial  exercises,  he  had  become  highly  popular  among  the 
people*  to  whom  such  diversions  recalled  the  days  ot  the 
Tudors  and  Plantagenets.  With  such  a  disposition,  it  is 
natural  to  suppose  that  the  young  candidate  in  the  lists  ot 
military  fame  must  have  regarded  the  veteran  warrior  with 
veneration  and  interest. 

In  respect  to  maritime  affairs,  especially,  their  tastes 
were  similar  ;  for  Ralegh,  who  perfectly  understood  this 
subject,  found  in  the  prince  an  ardent  spirit  of  inquiry, 
which  augured  well  for  the  future  benefit  of  the  British 
navy.f     To  him  Ralegh  dedicated  his  work,  entitled  "Ob- 
servations on  the  Royal  Navy  and  Sea  Service,"  and  a 
"  Discourse  of  a  Maritimal  Voyage,"  never  published.     It 
was  also  his  intention  to  have  dedicated  to  his  young  pa- 
tron the  second  and  third  volumes  of  his  History  of  the 
World,  which  he  purposed,  as  he  himself  expresses  it,  to 
"  have  hewn  out,"  but  which,  from  the  death  of  this  pow- 
erful friend,  from  the  discouraging  circumstances  attending 
the  sale  of  the  first  part,  or  from  new  schemes,  and  the 
revival  of  hopes  of  liberty,  was  never  completed.     The 
prince,  to  whom  Ralegh  applied  the  epithets  "  most  excel- 
lent and  hopeful^"  was  a  proficient  also  in  classical  litera- 
ture, in  which  he  had  been  carefully  trained;   and  had 
himself  displayed  so  premature  a  genius,  as  to  compose, 
when  only  in  his  tenth  year,  a  Latin  hexameter  poem,  en- 
titled the  "  New  Year's  Gift. 5"    Concurring  in  their  gene- 
ral tastes,  widely  as  all  other  circumstances  relating  to 
them  differed,  the  Prince  and  Ralegh  were  also,  in  one  re- 
spect, similarly  situated :  they  were  both  supposed  to  be 
objects  of  jealous  suspicion  to  the  King,  who  is  said  to  have 
thought  his  "  fearless  and  noble"  son||  "  too  high  mounted 
in  the  people's  love,T'  whilst  he  saw  in  Ralegh  a  great 
luminary,  beneath  whose  lustre  the  brightness  of  other 
lights  must  fade,  or  be  wholly  obscured.     Congenial  in 
mind  and  in  pursuits,  a  grateful  and  enthusiastic  admira- 
tion prevailed  between  these  two  individuals.    That  "  none 

*  Wilson,  v.  685. 

t  Birch's  Life  of  Prince  Henry,  297.    See  also  Ralegh's  Works  in 
Birch,  vok.  ii. 
JBirck  §  Ibid.  38.         ||  AulicusCoquinarise.        IT  Wilson,  685. 


190  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RAx  EGH. 

but  his  father  would,  keep  such  a  bird  in  such  a  cage*" 
was  the  well-known  observation  of  Prince  Henry ;  and 
Ralegh,  after  the  untimely  death  of  this  promising  youth, 
alludes  to  the  decease  of  his  royal  friend  in  terms  of  sor- 
row almost  prophetic.  Speaking  of  one  of  his  own  works, 
he  says,  "  But  God  has  spared  me  the  labor  of  finishing  by 
his  loss,  by  the  loss  of  that  brave  prince,  of  which,  like  an 
eclipse  of  the  sun,  we  shall  feel  the  effects  hereafter.  Im- 
possible it  is  to  equal  words  and  sorrows ;  I  will,  therefore, 
leave  him  in  the  hands  of  God  that  hath  him.-|-" 

At  the  command  of  Prince  Henry,  Ralegh  composed,  in 
1611,  two  discourses,  concerning  the  double  alliances  which 
were  proposed  between  the  duchy  of  Savoy  and  the  house 
of  Stuart.  In  those  treatises,  which  are  written  in  the 
clear,  forcible,  and  animated  style  which  characterizes 
Ralegh's  pen,  he  proves  the  unsuitableness  and  inexpe- 
diency of  the  proposed  marriages,  and  recommends  the  con- 
tinuance of  the  Prince  in  celibacy,  until  "  his  Majesty 
have  somewhat  repaired  his  estate,  and  provided  beautiful 
gardens  to  plant  those  olive-branches  in-J"  In  this  coun- 
sel the  inclination  of  the  Prince  was  probably  considered ; 
for  report  not  only  assigned  the  honor  of  his  regards  to  the 
infamous  Frances  Howard,  Countess  of  Essex,  but  his  own 
testimony  presented  the  reasons  of  his  dislike  to  the  Sa- 
voyan  contract.  §  Induced  by  arguments  to  approve  of  the 
marriage  with  a  daughter  of  France,  this  conscientious 
youth,  the  only  prince  of  the  Stuart  line  who  could  be 
strictly  termed  Protestant,  repented  bitterly  on  his  death-bed 
that  he  had  ever  been  induced  to  accede  to  the  proposals 
of  wedding  a  Papist,  and  considered  his  illness  as  a  judg- 
ment on  that  account.  ||  Yet  as  we  may  suppose  that  the 
sentiments  expressed  by  Ralegh  in  his  work  tallied  with 
those  of  the  Prince,  it  was  obviously  their  agreed  conclu- 
sion, that  no  other  foreign  marriage  presented  advantages 
so  powerfully  overbalancing  the  impediment  which  differ- 
ence of  religious  faith  presented,  as  that  with  Henrietta 
Maria  of  France,  subsequently  the  queen-consort  of  Charles 
the  First.  IT 

*  Osborne's  Miscell.  Works,  ii.  165.         f  Hist.  World,  lib.  v.  c.  1.  §  6. 

|  Works  of  Ralegh.    Birch,  i.  278. 

§  Wei  wood's  Notes  to  Wilson,  688. 

||  Winwood's  Mem.  iii.  410.  IT  Ralegh's  Wortfj. 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  191 

It  is  probable  that  Ralegh  owed  his  station  in  the  regard 
of  the  young  prince  chiefly  to  the  good  offices  of  Sir  John 
Harrington,  who  acted  almost  in  the  capacity  of  a  tutor  to 
the  heir-apparent.  It  is  not  unlikely  that  he  was  also  in- 
debted for  the  kindly  feelings  displayed  to  him  by  Henry, 
tc  his  mother,  Anne  of  Denmark,  the  queen-consort,  a 
weak  but  good-natured  woman,  and  an  indifferent,  and,  as 
some  thought,  faithless  wife,  but  an  affectionate,  though 
not  judicious  mother.  From  this  princess  Ralegh  is  said  to 
have  eventually  received  the  dearest  boon  that  an  innocent 
man  can  crave,  that  of  restored  reputation,  the  Queen 
granting  him,  at  a  subsequent  period,  the  privilege  of  hav- 
ing Cobham  re-examined.  She  proved  to  him,  indeed,  on 
various  occasions,  a  kind  mediator  and  friend  ;  and  Ralegh, 
as  we  shall  find,  had  recourse,  on  some  occasions,  to  her 
good  offices. 

But  his  fortunes,  as  far  as  his  worldly  estates  were  con- 
cerned, were  now  irremediably  ruined ;  and  the  wreck  of 
all  his  dearly-earned  possessions  was  eventually  completed 
by  the  injustice  of  King  James,  and  the  cupidity  of  his 
courtiers. 


CHAP.  VI. 

Estimate  of  Ralegh's  Property. — His  estates  and  occupations  in  Ireland. 
— Ralegh's  Companions  in  Prison. — His  schemes  with  respect  to  Gui- 
ana.—Death  of  Cecil  and  of  Prince  Henry. — Ralegh's  release  from 
the  Tower. 

In  order  fully  to  comprehend  the  losses  and  deprivations 
which  it  was  Ralegh's  fate  to  sustain,  it  is  necessary  to 
take  a  short  review  of  those  various  gradations  in  the  scale 
of  wealth,  by  which  he  rose  to  the  possession  of  a  consid- 
erable estate. 

His  property  in  Ireland,  by  order  of  time,  ought  first 
to  be  noticed.  The  history  of  his  possessions  in  that  coun- 
try must  be  referred  to  the  period  of  the  rebellion  in  the 
reign  of  Elizabeth,  who  found  it  expedient,  in  1582,  to  at- 
taint Gerald  Fitzgerald,  the  last  Earl  of  the  Geraldines,  a 
man  of  almost  princely  power  over  the  semi-barbarous 
people  amongst  whom  he  resided.  This  potent  nobleman 
could  muster,  it  was  said,  at  a  call,  six  hundred  horse  and 


192  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

two  thousand  foot,  and  had  five  hundred  gentlemen  of  his 
kindred  and  surname  on  his  estate.  Upon  his  destruction, 
and  that  of  his  adherents,  the  Queen  divided  his  extensive 
possessions  in  Cork,  Waterford,  Kerry,  and  Limerick, 
among  those  officers  and  knights  in  her  armies  who  had 
been  chiefly  engaged  in  subduing  the  power  of  her  ene- 
mies in  the  sister  countries.  The  forfeited  lands  were  di- 
vided, therefore,  into  manors  and  seignories,  containing 
each  from  four  to  twelve  thousand  acres,  bogs  and  moun- 
tains not  being  included  until  improved  and  fertilized. 
The  undertakers,  as  they  were  called,  of  these  estates, 
were  freed  of  all  taxes,  except  subsidies  levied  by  parlia- 
ment, and  were  to  import  all  commodities  into  England, 
duty  free,  for  five  years.  They  were  obliged  to  furnish, 
for  the  defence  of  their  new  possessions,  horse  and  foot- 
men, in  number  proportioned  to  their  share  of  the  forfeited 
demesnes;  an  arrangement  by  which  an  effective  force 
was  afterwards  supplied  to  the  country.  In  1586,  Sir  Wal- 
ter Ralegh  obtained  a  warrant  from  the  Privy  Seal,  grant- 
ing him  three  seignories  and  a  half  in  the  land  of  Cork* 
and  Waterford,  constituting  an  estate  of  12,000  acres.f 
This  domain  he  held  in  fee-farm,  and  with  it,  at  Youghal, 
in  the  barony  of  Imohilly,  a  house  belonging,  before  the 
dissolution  of  the  monasteries,  to  the  friars  preachers,  with 
a  rent  of  twelve  pounds,  nineteen  shillings  and  sixpence 
sterling,  payable  at  Easter  and  Michaelmas.J 

It  would  seem  that  Ralegh  had  but  little  leisure  to  enter 
into  the  concerns  of  his  Irish  estates  with  interest,  or  that, 
in  the  turbulent  scenes  in  which  he  was  mingled  in  that 
country,  he  could  have  enjoyed  sufficient  leisure  to  attend 
to  the  improvement  of  the  inhabitants  or  the  culture  of  the 
soil.  From  the  manuscript  records  of  the  town,  it  appears 
that  he  held  the  office  of  mayor  of  Youghal  in  1588,  \  and 
he  probably  occupied  the  house  belonging  to  him  near  the 
cottage  or  priory,  for  one  room  still  bears  the  traditional 
name  of  "  Sir  Walter's  Study,"  having  in  it  a  rich  and  cu- 

*  Smith's  Hist.  Cork,  i.  55,  56.  t  Ibid.  54.  J  Ibid.  109. 

§For  this  information  I  am  indebted  to  Crofton  Croker,  Esq.,  whose 
works  on  Irish  traditions  and  antiquaries  are  so  well  known,  and  so 
justly  admired.  That  gentleman  inspected  these  records  in  1821,  and 
visited  the  house  formerly  belonging  to  Ralegh,  and  now  inhabited  by 
Sir  Christopher  Musgrave.  It  is  a  plain  old-fashioned  house,  with  an 
abundance  of  fine  myrtles,  some  of  them  twenty  feet  high,  in  the 
garden 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  193 

nTAT^  ?!d  C,him"ey-Pi^e.  This  residence  is  situ- 
ated on  the  north  side  of  the  church,  and  on  the  soLth  side 
■tends,  large  buH<W,  called  the  College,  founded  by  the 
Geraldmes,   and  which  came  also  into  Ralegh's  posses- 

AtYoughal  the  first  potatoes  were  landed  in  Ireland 

time    thlTUhjAir  ^altei'  Rale§-h'  and'  at  ^  ™ 
thpri  ?     Cfleh^  affane  cherry  was  brought  by  him 

ti\fLtZ      6!  Crai7  1Sk,nds-     The  ^ll-knoin  tayie  S 

s  ?hTt  ^  at/r,St  ^athered  and  tasted  V  the 
person  who  planted  it,  and  of  the  early  neglect  of  this  val- 
uable Production,  originated  in  the  neighborhood  of  Yoi 
rj11  loots  were  for  some  time  left  untouched,  until 
the  ground  in  which  they  were  sown,  being  dug  up  their 
real  value  was  discovered.  From  this  small  portion  of  see? 
the  whole  country  of  Ireland  was  supplied  wfth  that 
which  has  since  proved  to  be  almost  ite  only  Sure S 
S^asaco^odity  for  the  support  of  life./ 
t„  p"  1  1  ™  igh  Vs  induced  to  sell  his  estates  in  Ireland 
to  Richard  Boyle,  afterwards  Earl  of  Cork,  a  man  of  ener 

ssffl; an; of  prerful  ^-^w,  SE 

ntorest     Z  tT™  "  6XCelIent  h^m  for  his  °wn 
mterest.,  and  to  turn  every  possession   to   full   account 

S^SJEh?  f°Umler  IV^  aft™ ds  so  S 
renowned  both  in  arms  and  letters,  returned  to  England 
his  native  country,  with  an  introduction  to  Sir  Robert 
Cecil  from  the  president  of  Munster,  who  requested  the 
assistance  of  the  secretary  to  Mr.  Boyle  in  effecting    he 

G Tt °/aidSlhaTalter  Ra^h'S  ^-/-yinCorL^Ra! 
Legh,  it  is  said,  had  no  repugnance  to  the  sale  of  his  prop- 
erty, on  account  of  the  heavy  sums  which  it  cost  him  to 
support  his  titles  to  it,  his  annual  expenses  on  tha   accomi? 

TTmXT°  hUI!dred  P°uUn d8-*     U  aPPears'  ho-eve 
that  Mr.  Boyle  purchased  the  estate  at  a  verv  low  rate 
upon  the  plea  of  its  uncultivated  condition;  and  tl  a7i not 

tT  L  buT:vasm0St  t^TT  aC^"isition  *°  h™  e-n- 
SJLbut  )Va    co"sldered  by  him  at  the  time  as  a  great 

Sofital  e^n  h  aUgmenlatl°n  to  his  GState'  and  as  ^  more 
piofitable  to  him  even  than  the  possession  of  a  richly-dow- 

^nXSce™^^*™  Mexic°-  whe»<*  they  had  proiab.y 
t  Smiths  Hist.  Cork,  p.  1—120. 
t  Nota  in  Biographia,  first  Art.  Boyle. 


194  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

ered  wife,  or  of  a  former  grant  to  himself  of  lands  in  Mun- 
ster,  had  hitherto  proved.* 

It  has  likewise  been  manifested,  in  a  recent  work  on  the 
antiquities  of  the  south  of  Ireland,  that  the  "  great  earl," 
as  he  was  popularly  entitled,  acted  a  very  equivocal  part 
in  this  transaction,  and  succeeded  in  duping  the  penetrat- 
ing, but  rash  owner  of  the  lands,  who  had  parted  with 
them  at  a  price  far  inferior  to  their  value.f  It  is  obvious, 
from  the  tenor  of  the  earl's  own  memorial,  that  he  thought 
it  necessary  to  write  in  an  apologetical  strain  upon  the 
subject;|  for  he  declares,  that  he  not  only  paid  Sir  Walter 
the  full  amount  of  what  he  owed  him  for  his  estate,  long 
before  Ralegh's  attainder,  but  that  he  presented  him  with 
a  thousand  pounds  after  that  event ;  preferring,  from  com- 
passion and  generosity,  to  give  him  that  sum  in  full,  than 
to  accept  of  a  composition  of  five  hundred  marks  from  the 
crown,  with  an  offer  of  a  full  acquittal  under  the  broad 
seal,  if  he  complied  with  that  proposition.  §  This  is  the 
earl's  own  exposition  of  his  conduct ;  but  it  has  been  hint- 
ed, that  his  conduct  was  not  so  honorable  as  this  represent- 
ation would  seem  to  imply;  and  some  remonstrance  ap- 
pears to  have  been  made,  in  subsequent  times,  against  the 
transaction,  as  irregular  and  illegal.  It  was  not,  however, 
a  time,  for  those  suffering-  from  adversity  and  oppression, 
to  appeal  with  success  against  the  favored  and  the  pros- 
perous. The  estate  remained  in  the  possession  of  Boyle, 
by  whom  it  was  soon  rendered  one  of  the  most  flourishing 
properties  in  the  sister  kingdom. 

With  respect  to  his  English  domains,  Ralegh  was  even 
still  more  unfortunate  than  in  his  Irish  property ;  for  he 
had  the  distress  of  seeing  those  lands  which  he  had  im- 
proved and  embellished  with  care,  and  had  hoped  to  trans- 
mit, as  a  family  inheritance,  to  his  son,  wrested  from  him, 
and  bestowed  upon  an  unworthy  favorite  of  the  king's,  in 
defiance  of  every  principle  of  justice,  and  in  disregard  of 
every  impulse  of  compassion. 

We  have  already  seen  that  Ralegh  was  unable  to  effect 
the  purchase  of  the  simple  and  retired  residence  of  his 
youth,  for  which  he  applied  in  1584,  offering  to  give  the 

*  See  Mr.  C.  Crokcr's  Researches  in  the  South  of  Ireland,  1824. 

t  Ibid.  J  Smith's  Hist,  of  Cork,  note,  i.  121. 

$  Smith's  Cork,  vol.  i.  p.  121. 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  1 95 

owner  "  whatsoever  in  his  conscience  he  should  deem  it  to 
be  worth ;"  preferring-,  as  he  alleged,  for  the  "  natural  de- 
position" which  he  had  to  that  place,  being  born  in  the 
house,  rather  "  to  seat  himself  there  than  anywhere  else.*" 
In  case  of  refusal  on  this  point,  it  was  at  this  time  Sir 
Walter's  determination  to  build  a  house  at  Colliton  in 
Devonshire ;  but  circumstances  afterwards  induced  him  to 
select,  as  a  family  residence,  Sherborne  or  Shireborne,  in 
the  same  county,  described  by  Aubrey  as  "  a  most  sweet 
and  pleasant  place,  and  site,  as  any  in  the  west."  From 
this  estate  alone,  he  afterwards  cleared  five  thousand 
pounds  yearly. 

A  curious  manuscript,  relating  to  this  noble  seat,  has 
been  preserved  and  published  in  the  Collectanea  Curiosa. 
The  lands  of  Sherborne  were  bequeathed  by  Osmund,  a 
Norman  knight,  to  the  see  of  Canterbury,  with  a  heavy  de- 
nunciation against  any  rash  or  profane  person  who  should 
attempt  to  wrest  them  from  the  church.f  This  anathema 
was,  in  the  opinion  of  the  vulgar,  first  accomplished  in  the 
person  of  the  protector  Somerset,  to  whom,  after  sundry 
vicissitudes,  the  property  devolved.  This  nobleman  was 
hunting  in  the  woods  of  Sherborne,  when  his  presence  was 
required  by  Edward  the  Sixth ;  and  he  was  shortly  after- 
wards committed  to  the  Tower,  and  subsequently  beheaded. 
The  forfeited  estate  then  reverted  to  the  see  of  Salisbury, 
until  the  reign  of  Queen  Elizabeth,  to  whom  it  was  made 
over  by  Coldwell,  bishop  of  Salisbury,  at  the  instigation  of 
Ralegh,  who  was  blamed,  and  apparently  with  justice,  for 
having  displayed  on  this  occasion  a  grasping  and  even  dis- 
honorable spirit.  So  strong  were  the  religious  prejudices 
of  the  day,  that  even  the  discerning  Sir  John  Harrington 
attributed  to  a  judgment  from  heaven  a  trifling  accident 
which  occurred  to  Ralegh  whilst  surveying  the  demesne 
which  he  coveted.  Casting  his  eyes  upon  it,  according  to 
the  notion  of  that  writer,  as  Ahab  did  upon  Naboth's  vine- 
yard, and,  in  the  course  of  a  journey  from  Plymouth  to  the 
coast,  discussing  at  the  same  time  the  advantages  of  the 
desired  possession,  Sir  Walter's  horse  fell,  and  the  face  of 
its  rider  then,  as  the  relater  observes,  "  thought  to  be  a 
very  good  one,"  was  buried  in  the  ground.J     Having  ob- 

*  See  Aubrey's  MSS.  f  Peck's  Collectanea,  520. 

t  Brief  View  of  the  State  of  the  Church  of  England,  p.  88. 


196  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

tained  the  estate,  Ralegh  resolved  to  improve  and  embel- 
lish it  to  the  utmost  of  his  means.  He  first  began  to  build 
a  fine  castle ;  but,  changing  his  design,  erected  a  noble 
house,  which  he  rendered  superior  to  all  the  places  around 
it.  Here  he  appears,  from  his  letters,  to  have  both  exer- 
cised the  duties  of  hospitality,  and  to  have  enjoyed  the  so- 
ciety of  his  friends  in  a  public  career,  although  at  so  great 
a  distance  from  the  metropolis  ;*  and  here  he  anticipated 
also  the  calm  refreshment  of  philosophic  leisure ;  "  build- 
ing," says  Aubrey,  "  a  delicate  lodge  in  the  parke  of  brick, 
not  big,  but  very  convenient  for  tbe  bignesse,  a  place  to 
retire  from  the  court  in  summer  time,  and  to  contemplate,  f" 
But  he  was  destined  never  to  enjoy  the  fruition  of  his 
wishes,  in  seeing  his  name  and  family  reinstated  in  rank 
and  influence  in  his  native  country.  In  1G62  he  had  found 
it  expedient  to  settle  Sherborne  upon  his  eldest  son.  The 
supposed  cause  of  this  determination  was  a  challenge  from 
Sir  Amias  Preston,  one  of  the  commanders  who  had  been 
knighted  by  the  Earl  of  Essex  at  the  siege  of  Cadiz ;  but 
neither  the  origin  nor  the  issue  of  the  quarrel  has  trans- 
pired. All  that  is  known  of  Ralegh's  sentiments  upon  the 
occasion,  is,  his  declaration  that  he  "  intended  to  answer" 
the  challenge.  Yet  it  is  uncertain  whether  or  not  he  de- 
clined it;  the  difference  of  military  rank  and  character 
being  a  sufficient  plea  for  deviating  from  the  received  laws 
of  honor,  and  the  fashionable  practice  of  the  times.  It  may 
be  surmised  that  Ralegh  had  high  and  important  reasons 
and  obligations  to  pursue  a  line  of  conduct  which  mani- 
fested the  true  and  delicate  perception  of  that  honor,  on 
which  so  many  are  ready  to  discourse,  and  which  so  few 
are  able  to  understand ;  and  that  he  may  have  sought  to 
discountenance  a  custom  then  so  prevalent,  that  Lord  Ba- 
con, when  Attorney-General,  was  obliged,  in  1614,  to  make 
an  example  of  a  butcher  and  a  barber-surgeon  in  the  Mar- 
shalsea  Court,  in  order  that  this  dangerous  and  disgraceful 
practice  might  be  brought  into  contempt.f  It  is  obvious 
that  Ralegh  viewed  the  character  of  a  duellist  with  the 
cool  and  well-digested  sentiments  of  a  philosopher,  rather 
lhan  with  the  inflated  enthusiasm  of  a  soldier.    In  his  His- 

*  See  his  Letter  to  Cobham,  in  Appendix. 

f  Aubrey's  MSS.  Oxf.  ed.  of  Ral.  Works,  App.  738. 

X  Sanderson's  Life  of  James  I.,  p.  395. 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  197 

tory,  he  ridicules  the  false  notions  which  teach  us  to  con- 
sider it  "  as  a  far  greater  dishonor  to  receive  from  an  enemy 
a  slight  touch  with  a  cane,  than  a  sound  blow  with  a 
sword ;  the  one  having  relation  to  a  slave,  the  other  to  a 
souldier."  And  concerning  the  received  belief  that  to  decry 
duelling,  and  to  be  a  coward,  are  synonymous,  he  remarks 
that  it  is  true,  "  if  you  call  it  cowardice  to  fear  God  and 
hell ;  whereas  he  that  is  truly  wise  or  valiant  knows  that 
there  is  nothing  else  to  be  feared.*"  Such  being  the  sen 
timents  of  Ralegh,  we  must  look  for  some  different  cause 
than  the  prospect  of  a  duel,  to  account  for  his  transfer  of 
his  principal  estate  to  his  son  ;  and  it  is  not  difficult  to  con- 
jecture that  he  may  have  anticipated  the  vicissitudes  of  his 
coming  years,  and  sought  to  preserve  this  portion  of  his 
property  from  the  effects  of  the  lowering  storm. 

This  measure,  if  the  result  of  forethought,  was  prudent, 
but  it  was  unavailing.  After  his  trial,  the  enemies  of  Ra- 
legh pretended  to  find  a  flaw  in  the  deed  of  conveyance, 
and  for  the  omission  of  a  single  word,  the  oversight  of  a 
clerk,  and  which  was  in  the  paper  copy  only,  it  fell  into 
the  possession  of  the  crown.f  The  person  principally  bene- 
fited by  this  discovery  was  Car,  Earl  of  Somerset,  who 
brought  the  matter  before  the  Court  of  Exchequer,  in 
which  a  decision  was  given  against  RaleghJ  :  "  a  judg- 
ment," observes  the  relater  of  the  fact,  5  "  easily  to  be  fore- 
seen without  witchcraft,  since  his  chiefest  judge  was  his 
greatest  enemy,  and  the  case  argued  between  a  poor  friend- 
less prisoner,  and  a  King  of  England."  This  event  took 
place  seven  years  after  the  commencement  of  Sir  Walter 
Ralegh's  imprisonment,  until  which  period  he  had  enjoyed 
the  revenues  of  Sherborne.  In  vain  did  the  persevering 
Lady  Ralegh, — being,  as  her  son  describes  her,  a  woman 
"  of  a  very  high  spirit,  of  noble  birth  and  breeding," — on 
her  knees,  and  in  the  bitterness  of  her  heart,  in  the  pres- 
ence of  the  King,  implore  Almighty  God  to  look  upon  "  the 
justness  of  her  cause,  and  punish  those  who  had  so  wrong- 
fully exposed  her  and  her  poor  children  to  beggary."  The 
inflexible  and  insensible  monarch,  who  had  neither  the 

*  Hist.  World,  b.  5.  chap.  3.  p.  C77. 

t  A  Brief  Relation  of  Sir  Walter  Ralegh's  Troubles,  117. 
X  Oldys,  64. 

§  Carew  Ralegh,  who  presented,  in  the  form  of  a  petition  to  parliament 
some  account  of  this  act  of  oppression.    See  Birch,  i.  p.  114. 


198  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

feeling  to  pity,  nor  the  discernment  to  value  this  devoted 
woman,  returned,  in  his  usual  phrase,  this  reiterated  reply 
"  I  mun  have  the  land ;  I  mun  have  it  for  Car."  And,  ac- 
cordingly, to  Car  the  estate  was  conveyed.  But  the  old 
prophecy,  by  those  who  observed  the  fate  of  Sherborne 
with  curiosity,  was  still  thought  to  hang  to  its  destiny. 
Through  the  generous  exertions  of  Prince  Henry,  it  may 
be  said  to  have  belonged  for  a  time  to  the  House  of  Stuart, 
since  he  begged  it  from  the  King,  pretending  to  fancy  the 
place,  but  in  reality  with  the  hope  of  restoring  it  to  the 
accomplished  owner  of  the  seat.  Unwilling  or  afraid  to 
refuse  the  request  of  his  son,  James  compromised  the  mat- 
ter by  paying  to  Car  the  sum  of  twenty-five  thousand 
pounds  for  the  surrender  of  the  estate,  and  even  allowed 
the  Lady  Ralegh  eight  thousand  pounds  for  the  property.* 
But  the  death  of  the  young  Prince  in  1611  frustrated  his 
generous  intention,  and  left  Sherborne  still  in  the  hands  of 
the  favorite.  The  premature  decease  of  this  promising 
youth  was  thought  by  the  vulgar  again  to  corroborate  the 
old  prophecy,  and  was  one  of  those  singular  coincidences 
which,  in  human  affairs,  confirm  the  day-dreams  of  super- 
stitious reasoners.  But,  in  the  times  of  the  Tudors  and 
the  Stuarts,  estates  were  so  often  gained  and  lost,  on  the 
one  hand  by  the  misfortunes  of  the  real  owners,  and,  on 
the  other,  by  the  iniquities  of  those  who  reaped  them,  that 
few  exchanges  of  property  from  one  family  to  another,  took 
place  without  being  occasioned  by  some  tragical  occur- 
rence. To  Carew,  the  youngest  son,  and  the  injured  sur- 
vivor of  Sir  Walter  Ralegh,  the  subsequent  attainder  of 
Car,  and  the  forfeiture  of  his  estates,  upon  his  committal  to 
the  Tower  for  the  murder  of  Overbury,  appeared  to  con- 
firm the  ill  fortune  attendant  upon  the  owners  of  Sher- 
borne; and  the  misfortunes  which  afterwards  befell  the 
House  of  Stuart  were  also  considered  by  him  to  corrobo- 
rate the  old  presage.  The  spell  has,  however,  since  been 
broken ;  for,  on  the  confiscation  of  Car's  estates,  Digby, 
Earl  of  Bristol,  obtained  Sherborne  from  the  King,  on  ac- 
count of  his  services  in  the  embassy  to  Spain.  This  noble- 
man added  two  wings  to  the  house ;  and  in  his  family  it 
now  remains.f 

During  the  proceedings  relative  to  his  favorite   anC 

*  Brief  Rel.,  &c.  t  Ibid.  117. 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  199 

boasted  residence,  upon  which  he  had  expended  a  consid- 
erable portion  of  his  gleanings  in  the  public  service,  Ralegh 
endeavored  to  avail  himself  of  his  eloquent  pen  in  order  to 
excite  the  pity  or  obtain  the  justice  of  those  who  were 
reaping  the  fruits  of  his  self-created  fortune.  Fame,  which, 
as  Lord  Bacon  has  observed,  "  hath  swift  wings,  especially 
that  which  hath  black  feathers,*"  soon  brought  to  him, 
even  in  prison,  intelligence  of  all  those  courtly  intrigues, 
by  which  his  miserable  fate  might  be  alleviated  or  de- 
pressed. In  1608,  we  find  him  addressing  to  Car  an  expos- 
tulatory  letter,  couched  in  those  guarded  and  insidious,  yet 
moving  terms,  of  which  many  of  Ralegh's  epistles  present 
a  specimen.  Perhaps  there  can  scarcely  be  any  supplica- 
tion more  delicately  and  happily  expressed  than  the  fol- 
lowing natural  yet  polished  address  to  a  young  and  favored 
courtier,  just  entering  upon  those  deluding  delights  of  suc- 
cessful ambition  and  gratified  vanity,  of  which  Ralegh  had 
himself  shared  largely.  "  And  for  yourself,  sir,"  he  observes, 
"  seeing  your  fair  day  is  but  now  in  the  dawn,  and  mine 
drawn  to  the  evening,  your  own  virtues  and  the  King's 
grace  assuring  you  of  many  honors,  I  beseech  you  not  to 
begin  your  first  building  upon  the  ruins  of  the  innocent ; 
and  that  their  sorrows,  with  mine,  may  not  attend  your 
first  plantation.!"  But  Ralegh,  in  his  application  to  Car, 
appealed  not  to  a  generous,  and  honorable,  young  favorite 
of  fortune,  like  Essex,  who  would  rather  have  impoverished 
himself  than  "  have  cut  down  the  tree  for  the  fruit,  and  un- 
dergone the  curse  of  them  that  enter  the  fields  of  the 
fatherless.^"  Somerset  Was,  from  his  early  nurture  in  a 
subordinate  station,  weak  and  pliable,  and  incapable  of 
greatness,  although  originally,  until  ensnared  by  the  al- 
lurements of  a  depraved  woman,  of  a  gentle  and  affable 
disposition.  5  Besides,  there  were  other  sufficient  reasons 
that  Somerset  should  not  incline  to  the  requests  of  one 
who  enjoyed  the  friendship  of  Prince  Henry  ;  a  bitter  jeal- 
ousy both  of  the  King's  favor,  and  a  still  more  dangerous 
rivalry  in  the  affections  of  the  Lady  Frances  Howard,  at 
this  time  subsisting  between  those  two  distinguished  per- 
sonages. || 

In  regard  to  the  residue  of  his  property,  Ralegh  was 

*  Bacon's  Letters  by  Stephens,  90. 

f  Ralegh's  Letter  to  Car,  in  Cayley,  vol.  ii.  43.  %  Ibid.  vol.  ii.  40. 

§  Wilson,  700.  K  Ibid.  686. 


200  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

scarcely  less  unfortunate  than  with  respect  to  Sherborne. 
The  extent  of  any  other  estates  which  he  possessed  has  not 
been  ascertained.  Some  proofs  remain  of  his  having  been 
the  owner  of  a  house  at  Islington,  near  the  church,  which 
was  stated  by  tradition  to  have  belonged  to  Sir  Walter  Ra- 
legh, the  insertion  of  his  arms,  and  several  old  account-books 
which  were  found  in  it,  confirming  that  idea.  There  is 
no  evidence  that  a  seat  at  West  Horseley  in  Surrey,  after- 
wards occupied  by  his  son,  and  also  decorated  with  the 
family  arms,  ever  belonged  to  Sir  Walter  Ralegh.  With 
regard  to  his  residence  in  London,  it  frequently  changed 
from  Somerset  House,  St.  James's,  and  Durham  House: 
in  all  of  these  places  he  is  supposed  to  have  had  apartments  : 
and  in  the  latter,  which  Aubrey  describes  as  a  noble  palace, 
he  is  stated  to  have  had  a  study,  "  which,"  says  that  writer, 
"  I  well  remember,  on  a  little  turret  that  looked  into  and 
over  the  Thames,  and  had  the  prospect  which  is  pleasant, 
perhaps,  as  any  in  the  world,  and  which  not  only  refreshes 
the  eye-sight,  but  cheers  the  spirits,  and  (to  speake  my 
mind)  I  believe  enlarges  an  ingeniose  man's  thoughts.*" 
Ralegh  afterwards  sold  a  house  at  Mitcham  in  Surrey,  for 
the  sum  of  twenty-five  thousand  pounds,  in  order  to  enable 
him  to  prosecute  his  last  voyage  to  Guiana.f 

In  1604,  all  his  goods  and  chattels  were,  by  the  King's 
grant,  given  over  to  trustees  of  Ralegh's  appointing,  to  be 
sold  for  the  benefit  of  his  creditors,  and  of  his  lady  and  his 
children.:):  To  these  proceedings  there  were  some  obstruc- 
tions, from  the  knavery  of  those  upon  whose  prompt  and 
honest  assistance  Ralegh  had  a  peculiar  right  to  depend. 
Sanderson,  a  gentleman  by  birth,  father  of  the  historian  of 
that  name,  had  married  Margaret  Snedale,  a  niece  of  Sir 
Walter  Ralegh's,  and  was  on  that  account  empowered  to 
receive  considerable  sums  from  the  office  of  wines  and 
other  charges,  with  which  Ralegh  had  been  in  the  days  of 
his  prosperity  intrusted.  Upon  an  account  of  these  being 
required,  Sanderson,  with  shameless  dishonesty,  not  only 
declined  giving  up  the  proceeds,  but  attempted  to  put  in  a 
claim  of  two  thousand  pounds  upon  Sir  Walter's  estate. 
An  action  was  therefore  commenced  against  him,  and  he 
was  found  liable  to  the  demand,  and  thrown  into  prison.  § 

*  Aubrey's  MSS. 

f  Observations  on  Sanderson's  History.     Tntroduct.  10. 

t  Birch,  62,  from  Ryraer's  Fcedera.  §  Cayley's  Life,  vol.  ii.  p.  40. 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  201 

This  act  of  justice  is  thought  to  have  provoked  the  enmity 
of  Sanderson's  son,  who  inherited  the  assurance  and  treach- 
ery for  which  only  his  rather  was  remarkable.  Becoming 
secretary  to  the  Earl  of  Holland,  who  was  chancellor  of 
Cambridge,  this  younger  Sanderson  was  turned  out  of  the 
university  for  receiving  bribes  from  scholars  and  bachelors 
to  make  them  doctors  of  divinity  upon  an  occasion  of  fes- 
tivity ;  and  "  Sanderson's  doctors"  were  long  proverbial  at 
that  seminary  of  learning,  as  a  term  for  assumption  and 
knavery.  By  his  marriage  with  the  Queen's  laundress, 
Sanderson  was  afterwards  initiated  into  that  partial,  ven- 
omous species  of  mformation  which  the  base  know  best  how 
to  glean,  and  the  vindictive  how  to  apply.  In  his  History 
of  Mary  Queen  of  Scots,  and  of  her  son  James,  this  truly 
reprehensible  writer  has  endeavored  to  level  the  greatest 
men  to  the  standard  which  he  best  understood ;  and  revers- 
ing the  admonition  of  the  wise  man,  showed  that  he  nei- 
ther forgot  nor  spared  his  own  nor  his  father's  enemies. 
Ralegh  came,  therefore,  under  the  severity  of  his  scourge ; 
and  had  not  historians  of  indisputable  accuracy,  knowledge, 
and  impartiality,  agreed  in  condemning  Sanderson  as  an 
author  of  no  credit,*  posterity,  affixing  much  importance  to 
the  testimony  of  a  contemporary  writer,  might  have  done 
lamentable  injustice  to  the  memory  of  one  who  committed 
doubtless  many  errors,  but  not  the  gross  and  heinous  sins 
which  Sanderson  has  laid  to  his  charge.f 

Thus,  whilst  the  law  in  one  instance  with  unjust  exact- 
ness and  rigor,  gave  away  one  portion  of  the  unfortunate 
Ralegh's  property,  his  character  suffered  even  in  the  en- 
deavor to  redeem  another  which  had  been  unjustly  wrested 
from  him.  To  add  to  the  trouble  and  anxiety  incident  to 
the  first  of  these  proceedings,  suspicion  now  arose,  on  the 
part  of  the  government,  of  Ralegh's  participation  in  the 
gunpowder  plot,  that  conspiracy  being  discovered  during 
his  imprisonment.  It  was,  perhaps,  in  reference  to  ,  fi0c. 
these  surmises,  or  to  the  dread  of  his  obtaining  too 
great  popularity,  that  a  letter  was  about  this  time  ad- 
dressed by  Sir  William  Wade  to  the  Earl  of  Salisbury, 

*  Heylin,  in  his  Examen  Historicum.  See  Advertisement  to  Ob.  on 
Sanderson's  Hist.  Birch,  Oldys,  Cayley,  Ralegh's  Biog.,  are  perhaps 
partial  evidence,  at  least  the  two  latter. 

f  See  Sanderson's  Hist.  James,  pp.  461,  462. 


202  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

before  whom,  as  it  appears,  Ralegh  had  been  taken  and 
examined. 

"  Sir  Walter  Ralegh  sithence  his  being  before  your  Lord- 
ship (whereof  notice  is  generally  taken)  doth  shew  himself 
upon  the  wall  in  his  garden  to  the  view  of  the  people,  who 
gaze  upon  him,  and  he  stareth  on  them.  Which  he  doth 
in  his  cunning  humor,  that  it  might  be  thought  his  being 
before  your  Lordship  was  rather  to  clear  than  to  charge 
him.  And  so  he  challengeth  his  keeper,  that  your  Lord- 
ship gave  him  new  liberty,  for  his  son  to  go  abroad,  and  his 
physician  to  resort  to  him.  Which,  I  assure  your  Lord- 
ship, he  useth  only  to  justify  himself ;  and  the  world  ex- 
pecteth  rather  farther  restraint  than  liberty.  Which  made 
me  bold  in  discretion  and  conveniency  to  restrain  him 
again,  and  meet  with  his  indiscreet  humor,  until  your 
Lordship  shall  otherwise  order.*"  This  document  shows 
that  Ralegh  had  experienced  some  alleviations  of  the  se- 
verity of  his  confinement,  at  the  instances  of  Cecil ;  but 
Wade,  on  the  contrary,  appears,  from  his  own  account,  to 
have  been  a  rigid  and  suspicious  keeper ;  and  to  have  urged 
rather  the  enforcement  than  the  relaxation  of  severity. 
Unhappily,  Ralegh's  constitution  was  now  irremediably 
broken  by  his  long  privation  of  the  free  enjoyments  of 
exercise  and  change  of  scene,  and  an  anticipation  of  ap- 
proaching death  is  obvious  in  a  letter  which  he  addressed 
to  the  Queen  in  1611. f  An  extreme  shortness  of  breath 
made  him,  to  use  his  own  expression,  in  referring  to  the 
schemes  which  he  still  cherished  respecting  Guiana,  "  re- 
solve that  God  had  otherwise  disposed  of  that  business,  and 
of  him."  In  the  same  affecting  strain  he  laments  that  he 
despaired  of  obtaining  so  much  grace  as  to  be  allowed  to 
walk  with  his  keeper  up  the  hill  within  the  Tower ;  and 
piteously  referred  to  the  hardship  of  being  "  shut  up  after 
eight  years  of  durance,  as  straightly  as  before ;  and  the 
punishment  due  to  other  men's  extreme  negligence  laid 
altogether  upon  his  patience  and  obedience."  His  latter 
passage  referred,  probably,  to  some  passing  occurrence, 
perhaps  the  escape  of  some  state  prisoners.  But  his  forti- 
tude had  now  nearly  deserted  him  ;  and  in  the  same  letter 
to  the  Queen,  he  declares  that  it  were  a  "  suit  far  more 

♦Birch's  Collection  in  Brit.  Museum.  4160.  cxxiii.    Cayley,  241. 
t  In  the  State  Paper  Office.    See  App. 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  203 

fitting  the  hardness  of  his  destiny  to  desire  to  die  once  for 
all,  and  thereby  to  give  end  to  the  miseries  of  this  life,  than 
to  strive  against  the  ordinance  of  God,  who  is  a  true  judge 
of  his  innocence." 

Ralegh  was  not,  however,  without  his  companions  in 
misfortune  ;  and  amongst  those  were  some  men  distinguish- 
ed both  for  their  rank  and  acquirements.  Of  these,  the 
most  conspicuous  was  Henry  Percy,  Earl  of  Northumber- 
land, who  had  interceded  for  Ralegh  with  the  king  at  an 
early  period  of  this  reign.  This  nobleman  had  been  sus- 
pected of  some  concern  in  the  gunpowder  plot,  from  the 
mere  circumstance  of  his  kinsman,  and  agent  in  the  north, 
Thomas  Percy,  one  of  the  conspirators,  having  called  at 
Sion  house,  on  his  journey  to  London,  a  few  days  before  the 
discovery  of  that  famous  treason.  Upon  this  suspicion, 
followed  by  a  star-chamber  accusation,  the  Earl  was  com- 
mitted to  the  Tower,  where  he  remained  fifteen  -iqqa 
years ;  quitting  his  unmerited  imprisonment  two 
years  after  Ralegh  was  also  released  from  it.  In  addition 
to  this  decree,  Northumberland  was  deprived  of  all  his 
offices,  and  condemned  to  pay  a  fine  of  thirty  thousand 
pounds, — a  sum  which  was  appropriated  to  the  payment  of 
the  Queen's  debts.*  But  the  Earl  had  powerful  friends, 
and  family  connexions ;  and  upon  his  release,  reassumed  a 
degree  of  splendor  and  consequence  which  the  ruined  state 
of  Ralegh  could  never  entitle  him  again  to  maintain. 
Such  was  the  pride  of  the  highly-descended  Percy,  that, 
shortly  after  his  restoration,  hearing  that  the  duke  of  Buck- 
ingham had  six  horses  to  his  coach,  he  appeared  with  eight ; 
and  in  that  style  travelled  from  Bath  to  London :  an  equip- 
age the  more  remarkable,  as  the  species  of  conveyance 
which  he  adopted  had  been  rare,  even  with  two  horses,  in 
the  late  Queen's  reign,  f  Notwithstanding  this  act  of  folly, 
the  earl  was  a  reflective  md  intelligent  man  ;  the  patron 
of  science ;  and  in  his  pursuits,  of  a  taste  congenial  to  that 
of  Ralegh.  Herriot,  Miers,  and  Warner,  eminent  for  their 
mathematical  acquirements,  shared  and  enlivened  his  cap- 
tivity ;  and  Sergeant  Hoskyns,  and  Dr.  Lionel  Sharpe, 
were  also  committed  to  the  Tower  during  the  course  of 
Ralegh's  continuance  in  it.  Sharpe  had  been  chaplain  to 
the  Earl  of  Essex  and  to  Prince  Henry ;  but  was  imprisoned 

*  Aikin's  James  I.  vol.  i.  p.  274.  t  WilsDn,  720. 


204  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

for  one  year,  upon  suspicion  of  having  suggested  to  Ser- 
geant Hoskyns  some  obnoxious  allusions  which  that  lawyer 
introduced  into  a  bold  speech  made  by  him  in  the  House  6*f 
Commons.*  Hoskyns,  who  had  acquired  the  reputation  of 
a  poet,  is  said  to  have  played  "  The  Aristarchus"  to  Ra- 
legh, during  their  mutual  seclusion  from  more  enlarged 
society.f  The  conversation  of  these  persons  proved,  no 
doubt,  a  source  of  recreation  and  amusement  to  Ralegh; 
but  it  is  probable  the  chief  solace  of  his  retirement  con- 
sisted in  the  schemes  which  he  had  never  wholly  relin- 
quished, and  which  he  now  again  prosecuted  with  vigor, 
for  the  second  investigation  of  Guiana.  One  great  obstacle 
to  this  object  was  removed  by  the  death  of  Cecil ;  for  that 
minister  had  ever  been  resolutely  opposed  to  the  plans 
1R19  which  Ralegh,  at  various  times,  proposed  to  the 
King  with  respect  to  this  remote  territory.  Salis- 
bury, of  whom  it  was  said  that  he  was  the  "  first  ill  treas- 
urer and  the  last  good  since  the  days  of  Queen  Elizabeth,}" 
died  on  the  twenty-eighth  of  May,  at  Marlborough,  on  his 
road  from  Bath,  whither  he  had  gone  as  a  last  resource  for 
the  cure  of  complicated  diseases,  at  length  terminating  in 
consumption. J  After  cruel  and  lingering  sufferings,  the 
mind  of  this  indefatigable  and  ambitious  statesman  was 
not  only  resigned  to  the  approach  of  death,  but  eager  to 
receive  the  last  awful  summons  from  a  weary  existence. 
"  Ease  and  pleasure,"  said  the  dying  minister,  "  quake  to 
hear  of  death  ;  but  my  life,  full  of  cares  and  miseries,  de- 
sireth  to  be  dissolved. ||"  In  his  latter  moments,  retaining 
all  the  collectedness  and  tenacity  of  memory  for  which  he 
was  remarkable,  he  manifested  also  the  patience  and  hope 
of  a  Christian ;  such  as  is  said  to  "  have  brought  joy  into 
the  sorrow  of  those  around  him,  in  their  greatest  discom- 
forts giving  full  assurance  of  their  best  happiness.il"  The 
King,  the  Queen,  and  the  Prince  severally  sent  him  to- 
kens of  their  regard  and  sympathy,  almost  too  late  to  af- 
ford happiness  to  a  mind  bent  on  higher  consolations  than 
the  favor  of  princes.     Although   unpopular,  probably  on 

*  Birch's  Mem.  of  P.  Henry,  63. 
t  Aubrey's  MSS.    Oxford  ed.  of  Ralegh's  Works,  663. 
JBiograph.  §  Winvvood,  iii.  467. 

U  Collectanea  Curiosa,  by  Gutch.    Sir  W.  Cope's  Apol. 
1T  Winwood,  368. 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  205 

account  partly  of  his  inclosures  of  Hatfield  Chase,  and  oc- 
cupation of  the  palace  there,  which  he  had  exchanged 
with  the  king  for  Theobald's,  partly  from  his  conduct  to 
Ralegh,  and  partly,  probably,  from  his  near  relationship  to 
Cobham,  whose  sister  he  had  married,*  Salisbury  was  al- 
lowed to  possess  dexterity  and  judgment,  which  were  more 
fully  appreciated  when  his  successor,  the  Earl  of  Suffolk, 
a  man  of  small  capacity,  came  into  power,  f  The  expe- 
dients adopted  by  Cecil  for  replenishing  the  treasury,  which 
James  dispersed  among  unworthy  favorites,  had  both  refer- 
ence to  public  convenience,  and  a  regard  to  the  mainte- 
nance of  the  royal  dignity.  He  obtained  a  great  yearly 
revenue  by  bargaining  that  the  New  River  water  should 
be  brought  to  London ;  but  it  was  not  till  after  his  death 
that  the  disgraceful  practice  was  begun  of  selling  the 
order  of  baronet,  which  he  had  introduced  in  imitation  of 
Edward  III.,  or  that  other  expedients  were  adopted  equally 
unworthy  of  the  sovereign  whose  profusion  occasioned,  or 
whose  weakness  permitted,  such  depredations. 

There  was  a  prophecy  in  King  James's  reign,  "  that 
Salisbury's  crazy  body  should  yield  before  Prince  Hen- 
ry's]: ;"  alluding,  probably,  to  those  arts  of  poisoning  to 
which  all  persons  of  rank  or  influence  were  remarkably 
exposed  at  this  era.  It  was  not  long,  however,  before  this 
accomplished  young  prince,  in  falling  a  victim  to  a  malig- 
nant fever,  confirmed  that  part  of  the  prophecy  by  which 
it  might  be  implied,  that  his  destiny  and  that  of  Cecil,  in 
respect  to  the  period  of  their  deaths,  were  united.  $ 

Concerning  the  cause  of  the  Prince's  malady  strange 
rumors  were  afloat,  circulated,  not  only  by  vulgar  acclama- 
tion, but  by  means  of  the  individuals  most  in  the  vicinity, 
and  even  in  the  secrets,  of  the  court.  ||  Yet,  to  those  who 
carefully  follow  the  progress  of  his  disorder,  and  consider 
the  delay  of  administering  medical  aid,  and  the  time  thus 
afforded  "to  the  aggravation  of  the  disease,  and  who  mark 
the  feebleness  and  inefficiency  of  the  remedies  which  were 
applied  to  the  violent  symptoms  which  his  disorder  from 
its  first  appearance  manifested,  it  will  not  appear  extraor 
dinary  that  an  attack,  apparently  trifling  in  the  beginning 

*  Biog.  t  Hume.  J  AulicusCoquinarice,  118. 

§  Prince  Henry  died  first,— 1611. 

I  See  Letter  from  Mr.  Beaulieu  to  Mr.  Turnbull.    Winwood. 


206  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

should  have  proved  mortal,  in  days  when  the  application 
of  "  cloven  pigeons*"  to  the  feet,  and  other  equally  puerile 
efforts,  were  deemed  advisable  by  the  unscientific  and  em- 
barrassed physicians  usually  in  attendance.  The  Prince 
began  to  decline  in  health  in  September,  complaining  of 
pain  and  giddiness  in  the  head.f  After  removing  from 
place  to  place  for  change  of  air,  he  took  up  his  abode  at  St. 
James's  on  the  25th  of  October,  about  which  time  he  was 
occasionally  confined  to  bed.  As  the  autumn  advanced, 
his  indisposition  increased ;  and  a  drowsiness  and  coldness 
in  his  head  created  in  the  mind  of  the  sufferer  himself  a 
suspicion  that  he  had  imbibed  what  was  then  called  "  the 
disease,"  a  species  of  fever  supposed  to  have  been  brought 
from  Hungary.;);  These  indications  of  sickness  appear, 
however,  to  have  excited  but  little  attention  from  his  own 
family,  although  the  paleness  of  his  countenance,  and  the 
change  in  his  temper,  which  displayed  alternate  fits  of  apa- 
thy and  of  irritability,  were  perceptible  to  all  who  casually 
beheld  him  on  public  occasions.  It  was  remarkable,  that 
on  one  of  the  last  occasions  of  public  worship  that  this  la- 
mented prince  ever  attended,  the  text  of  the  sermon  was 
taken  from  that  fine  passage  of  Job,  beginning,  "  Man,  that 
is  born  of  a  woman,  is  of  short  continuance,  and  of  long 
trouble.  §"  On  the  second  of  November,  he  dined  with  the 
King  and  the  Prince-palatine,  who  was  shortly  afterwards 
married  to  the  Lady  Elizabeth,  scarcely  less  the  idol  of  the 
nation  than  the  Prince  her  brother.  This  was  the  last 
social  enjoyment  in  which  he  was  able  to  participate,  his 
malady  increasing  rapidly,  and,  to  all  appearance,  hope- 
lessly. In  this  state  of  public  dismay,  the  Queen,  who 
fondly  loved  a  son,  rather  a  source  of  pride  than  an  object 
of  affection  to  her  royal  consort,  remembered  that  Ralegh 
had  formerly  administered  to  her  with  success  medicine  of 
his  own  composing,  which  has  since  obtained  the  popular 
name  of  his  cordial.  It  is  said  that  the  reward  which  Ra- 
legh required  in  the  first  instance  for  giving  the  specific 
was,  that  Cobham  should  be  re-examined,  a  demand  as 
creditable  to  his  innocence  as  it  was  infamous  to  his  coun- 
try, in  which  justification  could  not  then  be  obtained  with- 
out either  bribery  or  interest.     He  was  now  enjoined  to 

*See  Birch's  Life  of  Prince  Henry,  270.,  also  Aul.  Coq.  154. 

f  Notes  to  Wilson,  680,  vol.  ii.  410. 

J  Birch,  ed.  1750,  383.  §  Ibid.  1756,  337. 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  207 

lend  the  aid  of  his  invention  for  a  purpose,  if  possible,  of 
even  greater  moment  than  the  fruitless  attempt  to  deal 
his  blasted  fame ;  and  was  commanded  by  the  Queen  to 
send  it  for  the  benefit  of  the  dying  Prince.  By  some 
writers  a  different  story  is  told ;  and  it  is  asserted  that  the 
Queen  herself,  being  given  over  by  the  physicians  as  in- 
curable, the  skill  of  Ralegh  was  resorted  to  with  success  ; 
•  and  that  it  was  on  this  occasion  that  Cobham  was  brought 
forth  from  his  ignominious  seclusion  to  corroborate  or  deny 
his  statements  respecting  Ralegh,  in  presence  of  six  lords 
sent  by  the  King  to  examine  him.  By  the  same  authority 
it  is  stated,  that  Cobham  declared  that  Wade  had  forged 
the  written  document  produced  as  his  evidence  against 
Ralegh,  having  procured  the  wretched  peer's  signature  to 
a  blank  piece  of  paper.*  The  lords,  on  returning  to  Lord 
Salisbury,  are  said  to  have  commissioned  him  to  inform  the 
King  that  Cobham  "had  subscribed  to  all  that  he  had 
written ;"  a  stratagem  which,  if  practised,  would  have 
been  base  in  the  extreme ;  but  this  anecdote  is  extremely 
improbable,  Cobham  being  with  difficulty  brought  to  sub- 
scribe to  any  examination,  and  therefore  not  very  likely  to 
put  his  name  thus  incautiously  to  a  document,  in  which 
anything  whatsoever  might  be  inserted.f  It  is  however 
certain,  that,  either  during  the  illness  of  the  Queen,  or  of 
the  Prince,  Ralegh  availed  himself  of  his  transitory  import- 
ance, as  a  man  of  science,  to  procure  the  examination  of 
Cobham,  who  is  stated  on  that  occasion  to  have  acquitted 
him  of  all  that  had  been  before  alleged.  Whatever  may 
have  been  the  boon  promised  for  the  trial  of  the  cordial,  or 
whether  it  were  granted  at  this  critical  period,  or  during 
the  illness  of  the  Queen,  it  is  singular  that  he,  who  had 
been  charged  with  conspiring  to  extirpate  the  King  and 
his  family,  should  have  been  intrusted  with  the  adminis- 
tration of  any  potion  to  them,  the  ingredients  of  which 
were  unknown.  Ralegh,  expressing  a  tender  concern  for 
the  fate  of  his  young  patron,  complied,  however,  with  the 
injunction  of  her  Majesty,  but  accompanied  the  cordial 
with  a  letter,  purporting  that  the  remedy  would  cure  the 
Prince  or  any  other  person  of  a  fever,  except  in  case  of 
poison.  :f    The  cordial  was  received  by  the  Prince's  attend 

*  Weldon's  Court  and  Character  of  King  James,  12mo.  p.  35. 

f  Cayley,  vol.  li.  p.  48.  note. 

I  Welwood's  Notes  to  Wilson,  714. 


208  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

ants,  was  tasted,  proved,  and  given  to  the  expiring  youth, 
but  with  no  other  success  than  that  of  procuring  some  rest.* 
It  was  not  indeed,  very  probable,  that  the  remedy  which 
had  been  given  with  success  to  the  Queen,  who  had  a 
dropsy,  could  have  a  beneficial  effect  in  a  fever ;  but  the 
belief  in  specifics  was  then  universal,  and  Ralegh  was  not, 
probably,  sufficiently  profound  in  medical  science  to  dis- 
credit their  efficacy.  The  vital  energy  of  the  young 
Prince's  frame  was  now  unhappily  destroyed  ;  and  repeated 
attacks  of  convulsion  and  of  death-like  faintings  had  at 
times  given  birth  to  the  report  that  life  had  already  fled. 
Nothing  could  arrest  the  hand  of  death ;  and  this  bud  of 
promise  yielded  to  it  on  the  sixth  of  November,  after  an  ill- 
ness obviously  of  twelve  days'  continuance,  but,  in  all  prob- 
ability, for  some  weeks  threatening  his  existence  before  it 
was  discovered. 

The  general  impression  that  some  foul  conspiracy  or  pri- 
vate vengeance  had  cut  short  the  days  of  the  royal  youth, 
displayed  itself  immediately  after  his  decease.  The  King, 
unwilling,  as  it  was  said,  to  remain  so  near  the  gates  of 
sorrow,  had  removed  from  the  metropolis,  where  the  young 
prince  died,  to  Theobald's,  there  to  await  the  event.  The 
Queen,  resting  upon  the  rash  assertion  of  Ralegh  in  his 
letter  to  her,  affirmed  till  her  last  hour  that  her  lamented 
son  had  been  poisoned.f  Upon  the  dissolution  of  his  house- 
hold, his  chaplain  alluded  so  plainly  and  so  pathetically  to 
the  supposed  cause  of  his  death,  that  the  audience  were 
melted  into  tears,  and  the  preacher  was  afterwards  dis- 
missed for  his  rashness.}  Some  time  afterwards,  when  an 
investigation  of  the  murder  of  Sir  Thomas  Overbury  was 
discussed,  the  Lord  Chief  Justice  Coke  plainly  intimated 
that  Overbury  had  been  murdered  to  prevent  the  discovery 
of  another  crime,  committed  on  one  of  the  highest  rank, 
whom  he  termed  a  "  sweet  prince."  For  this  allusion 
Coke  lost  the  King's  favor,  and  some  time  afterwards  his 
office. 

The  solution  of  these  mysterious  remarks  was  variously 
attempted  by  those  who  pretended  to  opportunities  of  form- 
ing a  correct  judgment.  Of  Ralegh's  opinion  on  the  sub- 
ject, we  have  no  evidence,  nor  would  prudence  have  per 

*  Birch's  Life  of  P.  Henry,  270.  f  Wilson,  714.  note. 

t  Welwood's  note,  in  Wilson,  689. 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  209 

mitted  him  to  join  in  the  popular  insinuations  so  dangerous 
to  others,  and  so  certain  ofdestruction  to  himself.  Sir  Robert 
Naunton,  then  in  the  service  of  Overbury,  the  friend  and 
tutor  of  Car,  declared,  in  a  letter  to  Sir  Ralph  Winwood, 
that  he  "  held  it  not  fit  to  write  what  he  conceived,  and  less 
fit  to  address  it  to  his  correspondent,  who  was  then  in  situ- 
ations of  trust  and  honor."  Rumors  of  a  dark  but  almost 
absurd  tendency  were  carried  about ; — some  asserting  that 
the  Prince  was  poisoned  by  a  bunch  of  grapes ;  others,  that 
an  envenomed  pair  of  gloves  had  communicated  a  subtle 
poison  to  his  head,*  the  pain  principally  lying  in  that  part, 
which  was  found  after  his  death  partly  filled  with  water,  f 
The  person  against  whom  these  insinuations  were  chiefly 
levelled  was  Car,  Viscount  Rochester,  now  in  the  height 
of  the  absurd  favor  which  James  had  for  some  time  lavished 
upon  him.  Yet  there  were  those  who  attributed  a  share 
in  the  untimely  death  of  the  Prince  to  the  Spaniards, 
whose  power  and  policy  he  opposed,  or  to  the  Catholics  in 
general,  whose  opinions  he  detested  with  more  zeal  than 
candor  or  good  sense.!  Others  there  also  were,  who,  in 
secret  and  guarded  terms,  ventured  even  to  glance  at  the 
King  as  the  instigator  or  assenter  to  a  crime  too  heinous 
and  too  unnatural  for  the  soul  of  James  to  contemplate 
without  horror.  It  was,  perhaps,  the  indiscreet  and  heart- 
less conduct  of  that  monarch  on  this  occasion  which  in- 
spired such  suspicions.  He  forbade  all  mourning  in  his 
court, — a  circumstance,  by  no  means,  however,  unprece- 
dented, since,  after  the  death  of  Queen  Elizabeth,  the  for- 
eign ambassadors  were  forbidden  to  appear  before  the 
King  in  mourning,  and  the  court  was  only  allowed  to  wear 
that  tribute  of  respect  for  two  months^ ;  and  he  was  equally 
negligent  in  observing  that  form  when  his  own  consort 
died.  The  black  imputation  which  has  been  cast  upon 
him  is  unsupported  by  any  evidence  of  more  weight  than 
the  gossip  and  slander  of  his  own  court ;  and  it  is  probable 
that,  had  not  the  disclosures  of  the  infamous  Mrs.  Turner 
been  brought  to  light,  the  alarm  of  poison  would  not  have 
been  so  rapidly  conveyed  to  the  public  mind,  nor  so  readily 
cherished  when  implanted.  It  was  also,  probably,  com- 
pletely discredited  by  those  who  had  witnessed  the  dutiful 

*  Wilson,  690.  f  Aul.  Coq.  154. 

X  Wilson,  790.  §  Ibid.  681.  note. 


210  LIFE  OP  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

and  discreet  conduct  of  the  young  Prince  towards  his 
father,  who  at  times  had  been  inclined  to  censure  his  son's 
readiness  in  entering  into  public  affairs,  and  even  into  the 
regulation  of  his  own  household.* 

Whilst  the  death  of  Prince  Henry  precluded  all  hope  of 
permanent  sunshine  settling  upon  the  path  of  Ralegh,  that 
of  Cecil  produced  no  peculiar  benefit  to  his  interests.  Cir- 
cumstances combining,  as  it  might  appear,  from  mere  ac- 
cident, eventually  paved  the  way,  however,  to  a  change 
seemingly  propitious  to  the  restitution  of  his  fortunes.  In 
1614,  he  was  allowed  the  liberty  of  the  Tower ;  a  privi- 
lege which  he  owed  either  to  the  tranquillity  of  domestic 
affairs,  or  possibly  to  the  intercession  of  the  Queen.  But 
this  permission  was  not  enjoyed  without  the  alloy  of  hear- 
ing that  his  eldest  son  Walter  was  obliged  to  escape  into 
the  Low  Countries,  on  account  of  a  duel  in  which  he  had 
been  engaged  with  Mr.  Robert  Tyrwhit,  a  dependant  of 
the  Earl  of  Suffolk,  who  had  succeeded  Cecil  as  Lord  High 
Treasurer.!  The  issue  of  this  affair  has  not  transpired  ; 
and  it  can  be  inferred  only  that  the  necessity  for  absence 
was  merely  temporary,  from  the  return  of  the  youth,  and 
his  subsequent  employment  in  the  enterprise  to  Guiana. 
Meanwhile,  singular  events  and  changes  had  taken  place 
in  the  English  court. 

Car,  now  Earl  of  Somerset,  had  for  some  time  been  ob- 
noxious to  the  greater  part  of  the  aristocracy,  and  at  open 
enmity  to  the  queen,  who,  from  some  secret  persuasion 
respecting  the  mode  of  Prince  Henry's  death,  had  never 
consented  to  see  the  favorite  since  that  event ;  a  line  of 
conduct  the  more  remarkable,  as  the  thoughtless  and  profli- 
gate Anne  of  Denmark  had  never,  in  any  other  instance, 
been  sufficiently  aroused  from  a  career  of  frivolity  and  a 
life  of  insignificance,  to  interfere  in  any  public  transac- 
tion.;); Intrigues  of  the  blackest  character,  and  murder,  ag- 
gravated by  every  artifice  of  cruelty,  had  for  some  time 
been  gradually  worked  out  of  the  dark  mine  in  which  their 
iniquitous  agents  had  found  means  to  conceal  these  heinous 
crimes.  Ralegh,  in  his  imprisonment,  might  compare  his 
fate  with  that  of  the  unfortunate  Sir  Thomas  Overbury, 
who  now  shared  the  gloomy  confinement  to  which  so  many 

*  Birch's  Mem.  381.  t  Birch,  65. 

t  Welvvool's  notes  to  Wilson,  697. 


LIFE  OP  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  211 

in  those  days  of  arbitrary  power  were  destined,  without 
the  privilege  of  being  heard,  or  the  satisfaction  of  legal 
defence.  That  unhappy  man,  guilty  in  having  communi- 
cation with  the  guilty,  had  died  a  victim  to  the  lingering 
poisons  of  Somerset  and  his  accomplices,  infused  into  every 
article  of  his  food,  and  even  into  the  salt  with  which  his 
meat  was  seasoned.*  The  conspiracy  by  which  his  death 
was  accomplished,  was  revealed  by  one  of  its  meanest 
members,  the  apothecary's  boy  who  administered  the  last 
poison ;  and  Sir  Ralph  Winwood,  formerly  ambassador  in 
the  Netherlands,  assisted  by  the  Queen,  brought  the  whole 
matter  before  the  King  and  council.  But  little  would  dis- 
covery have  availed  to  the  punishment  of  the  delinquents, 
had  not  James  found  a  new  object,  upon  which  to  lavish 
the  weak  fondness  of  a  heart  indifferent  to  its  natural  and 
nearest  ties. 

George  Villiers,  afterwards  Duke  of  Buckingham,  and 
the  instrument  of  Ralegh's  release  from  the  Tower,  was 
now  considered  as  the  rising  favorite.  Educated  by  a  care- 
ful and  provident  mother,  herself  raised  from  a  low  sta- 
tion to  be  the  second  wife  of  his  father,  a  Leicestershire 
knight,  Villiers  was  trained  in  the  expectation  of  his  one 
day  becoming  a  courtierf ;  and,  being  a  younger  son,  with 
some  management  furnished  with  the  sum  of  fifty  pounds, 
and  sent  up  to  London.  Possessed  of  a  singular  and  com- 
manding beauty,  of  an  open  and  happy  countenance,}  and 
of  a  calm  and  pliant  temper,  Villiers  soon  attracted  the 
notice  of  the  King,  who  was  captivated  with  his  personal 
advantages,  and  was  afterwards  wont  to  give  him  the  name 
of  Steney,  or  Stephen,  in  an  allusion,  both  adulatory  and 
profane,  to  the  solemn  occasion  of  which  it  is  recorded  that 
"the  council,  looking  stedfastly"  on  that  apostle,  "saw 
his  face  as  if  it  had  been  the  face  of  an  angel.  J"  "Favored 
rather  by  the  Graces  than  the  Muses,"  and  endowed  with 
acquirements  more  brilliant  than  solid,  but  displaying 
eventually  both  courage  as  a  soldier,  and  in  civil  life,  Vil- 
liers was  compared  to  that  darling  of  the  chivalrous  part  of 
the  nation,  Brandon,  Duke  of  Suffolk,||  in  the  time  of  Henry 

*  Wilson,  693.  f  Wilson,  698. 

t  Reliquiae  Wottonia:,  77.    Parallel  between  the  Duke  of  Buckingham 
nd  Ea  1  of  Essex. 

§  Granger's  Biography,  vol.  i.  326.  g  Rel.  Wot.  .17. 


212  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

VIII.  This  accomplished  nobleman*  had  never,  however, 
heen  admitted  to  those  marks  of  favor  which  almost  imme- 
diately succeeded  the  introduction  of  young  Villiers  to 
James.  The  King  took  him  instantly  to  be  his  cup-bearer, 
an  office  by  which  he  was  retained  in  the  presence  of  the 
monarch,  without  awakening  the  jealous  suspicions  of  the 
former  favorite  ;  and  he  was  soon  afterwards  made  a  gentle- 
man of  the  bed-chamber.  From  this  time,  the  ruin  of  Som- 
erset proceeded  with  rapid  strides.  The  King,  who  had 
evidently  some  private  reasons  for  endeavoring  to  avoid 
irritating  his  former  idol,  dissembled,  indeed,  with  him  in 
the  matter  of  Overbury,  whilst  he  pretended,  in  his  com- 
munications with  the  judges,  the  utmost  zeal  for  the  fur- 
therance of  justice.  It  was  during  the  rise  of  young  Vil 
,  a-,  c-  liers  to  the  highest  distinctions  of  royal  favor,  that 
'  Ralegh,  after  an  imprisonment  of  twelve  years,  be- 
gan to  hope  once  more  for  the  enjoyment  of  that  liberty 
which  he  knew  so  well  how  to  employ.  Of  the  measures 
which  he  adopted  to  procure  his  liberation  little  is  known, 
except  this  melancholy  and  scandalous  fact,  that  it  was  not 
from  the  relenting  sense  of  justice  in  the  King,  or  even 
from  his  mercy,  that  Ralegh  had  to  expect  this  long-craved 
boon.  In  those  tunes,  public  honor  was  perhaps  at  its  low- 
est ebb,  and  bribery  most  upheld  in  shameless  effrontery. 
It  was  essential  therefore,  and  perhaps  might  be  excusable, 
where  the  greatest  blessing  of  life  was  concerned,  to  bend 
to  the  corruptions  of  the  times ;  and  Ralegh,  who  had  for- 
merly descended  to  receive,  from  others,  payment  for  his 
good  offices  at  court,  was  now  constrained  to  try  the  poten- 
cy of  similar  inducements  to  others.  Accordingly,  he  paid 
to  Sir  William  Saint  John,  and  Sir  Edward  Villiers,  the 
uncles  of  the  new  favorite,  the  sum  of  fifteen  hundred 
pounds ;  and  by  this  means  obtained,  with  the  mediation  of 
the  Lady  Villiers,  the  mother  of  Buckingham,  his  final  re- 
lease.! A  few  months  before  this  event,  he  had  the  singu- 
lar fate  to  behold  Somerset,  long  triumphant  whilst  he  lan- 
guished in  confinement,  and  the  usurper  of  his  valued 
estate  of  Sherborne,  conducted,  as  a  prisoner,  to  the  Tower. 
Respecting  this  vicissitude,  Ralegh  observed,  "that  the 
whole  history  of  the  world  had  not  the  like  precedent,  of 
a  king's  prisoner  to  purchase  freedom,  and  his  bosom  favor- 

*  Rel.  30.  31.  t  Oldys,  192. . 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  213 

Ite  to  have  the  halter,  but  in  Scripture,  in  the  case  of  Mor- 
decai  and  Haman."  Upon  being  apprized  of  this  remark, 
the  King1  is  said  to  have  observed,  "  that  Ralegh  might  die 
in  that  deceit*;"  a  singular  proof  of  James's  inveterate  dis- 
like to  this  persecuted  subject,  and  a  most  disgraceful  one 
of  the  monarch's  secret,  and  afterwards  fulfilled  intentions 
to  uphold  the  sinner  in  his  ways. 

On  the  17th  of  March  1615,  Ralegh  was  liberated,  and 
on  the  same  day  he  addressed  to  Villiers  the  following 
letter : — 

"  Sir, — You  have,  by  your  mediation,  put  me  again  into 
the  world.  I  can  but  acknowledge  it :  for  to  pay  any  part 
of  your  favor,  by  any  service  of  mine,  as  yet  is  not  in  my 
power.  If  it  succeed  well,  a  good  part  of  the  honor  shall 
be  yours ;  and  if  I  do  not  also  make  it  profitable  unto  you,  I 
shall  show  myself  exceeding  ungrateful.  In  the  mean- 
while, and  till  God  discover  the  success,  I  beseech  you  to 
reckon  me  among  the  number  of  your  faithful  servants, 
though  the  least  able. 

"W.  Ralegh.!" 


CHAPTER  VE. 

Ralegh's  Designs  with  regard  to  Guiana.— His  last  Voyage  thither.— Its 
unfortunate  issue.— His  Return.— Apprehension.— Trial.— Death.— Ac- 
count of  his  Literary  Works,  and  Character. 

It  is  interesting  to  conjecture  what  are  likely  to  be  the 
reflections,  and  the  first  efforts  of  an  able  and  ambitious 
man,  the  restlessness  of  whose  active  mind  has  been  long 
repressed  by  despair,  and  the  co-operating  energy  of  whose 
bodily  exertions  diminished,  if  not  annihilated,  by  the  chill- 
ing quietude  of  imprisonment.  In  returning  to  what  Ra- 
legh might  almost  deem  a  renewed  existence,  he  cherished 
with  most  avidity  the  fruition  of  hopes  which  had  been 
nurtured  in  seclusion,  and  rushed  with  the  greatest  degree 
of  ardor  into  schemes,  to  which,  by  contrast  with  the  drea- 
riness and  monotony  of  the  foregoing  years,  a  false  bril- 
liancy had  been  imparted. 

It  has  been  remarked,  in  the  course  of  this  narrative, 

*  Birch,  Cfi.  f  Oldyg,  192. 


214  LIFE  OP  SIR  WALTER  RAI.EGH. 

that  his  inclinations  had  been  early  directed  to  maritime 
pursuits,  with  a  greater  zest  than  to  any  other  means  of 
acquiring1  fame  ;  a  preference  resulting,  probably,  from  the 
associations  of  his  infancy  with  those  whose  lives  were 
sedulously  passed  in  advancing  the  interests  of  navigation. 
As  maturer  age  brought  to  his  view  the  advantages  of 
speculation  to  his  rising  fortunes,  Ralegh  had  continued  hia 
naval  exploits  with  the  avidity  with  which  mercantile  oc- 
cupations are  usually  followed,  and  with  the  boldness  and 
determination  which  characterize  warlike  affairs.  In  the 
decline  of  life,  he  now  regarded  his  former  researches  in 
remote  countries  as  a  resource,  by  the  aid  of  which  he 
might  raise  his  name  from  degradation,  and  his  condition  to 
affluence  and  honor.  In  a  retirement  of  twelve  years'  con- 
tinuance, schemes  of  fresh  enterprise  and  exertion  had 
been  his  solace  and  employment,  and  the  first  acquisition 
of  liberty  was  devoted  to  the  fruition  of  these  cherished  de- 
signs. Unhappily  for  him,  his  plans  partook  of  that  spirit 
of  romance  and  temerity  which  a  long  seclusion  from  gene- 
ral society  sometimes  engenders ;  and  the  hopes  with  which 
he  adorned  the  prospects  of  futurity,  were  lavished  upon 
grounds  not  calculated  to  bring  him  an  equitable  produce. 
In  order  to  comprehend  fully  the  merits  of  the  undertaking 
upon  which  his  solitary  meditations  were  employed,  it  is 
necessary  to  refer  to  the  exertions  which  Ralegh  had  made, 
at  a  former  period  of  his  life,  in  promoting  the  extension 
of  maritime  discovery. 

It  were  tedious  to  recapitulate  the  voyage  which  he 
made  to  Guiana  in  1595.  Since  that  fruitless  expedition, 
;t  might  appear  that  important  occupations,  and  repeated 
anxieties  and  vicissitudes,  would  have  banished  all  future 
projects  of  the  same  nature  from  the  mind  of  Ralegh. 
During  the  life  of  Cecil  it  was,  indeed,  hopeless  to  en- 
deavor to  procure  liberty ;  and,  if  liberty,  permission  for 
the  renewal  of  this  scheme.  By  a  letter  in  the  State  Paper 
Office,  it  is  evident  that  Ralegh  found  the  opposition  of 
that  minister  insurmountable ;  for,  addressing  the  Queen,* 
he  informs  her  that  he  had  lately  presumed  to  send  her 
Majesty  the  copy  of  a  letter  written  to  the  Lord  Treasurer 
concerning  Guiana ;  and  that  "  there  was  nothing  done 
therein,  he  could  not  but  wonder  with  the  world,  did  not 

*  See  Appendix,  R. 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  215 

die  malice  of  the  world  exceed  the  wisdom  thereof."  "  In 
mine  own  respect,"  he  continues,  "  the  ever-1'ving  God 
d:>th  witness  that  I  never  sought  such  an  employment;  for 
all  the  gold  on  the  earth  could  not  invite  me  to  travel  after 
misery  and  death,  both  which  I  had  been  more  likely  to  have 
overtaken  in  that  voyage,  than  to  have  returned  from  it." 
The  design  of  revisiting  Guiana  was,  as  he  affirms,  revived 
entirely  foi  the  approving  of  his  faith  to  the  King,  "  and 
to  have  done  him  such  a  service  as  had  seldom  been  per- 
formed for  any  king.*"  But  James,  influenced  by  Cecil, 
and  by  Ralegh's  other  enemies  at  court,  listened  to  the 
supplications  of  the  Queen,  and  to  all  other  mediators  for 
the  unhappy  prisoner,  only  to  reply  to  them  in  these 
words : — "  That  his  council  knew  him  better  than  he  did." 
Some  indications  of  a  relenting  spirit  on  the  part  of  gov- 
ernment, appeared,  however,  towards  the  latter  years  of 
Ralegh's  imprisonment.!  In  aid  of  these,  his  own  personal 
exertions,  and  the  small  remains  of  his  property,  had  been 
continually  applied.  Even  in  times  of  difficulty  and  dis- 
tress, he  had  been  able  to  send  a  vessel  every  year  to 
Guiana,  to  reassure  the  hopes  of  the  affrighted  Indians,, 
who  were  perpetually  liable  to  the  invasions  and  outrages 
of  the  Spanish  Colonies  in  South  America.  By  the  ships 
thus  dispatched,  natives  of  the  province  had  been  occa- 
sionally brought  to  England,  and  allowed  to  communicate 
with  Ralegh  in  the  Tower,  J  After  the  death  of  Cecil,  and 
upon  the  appointment  of  Sir  Ralph  Winwood  to  the  office 
of  Secretary  of  State,  Ralegh  resumed  his  propo-  lfi-i4 
sals,  and  in  a  letter  to  him,  declared  it  to  be  his  own 
greatest  infelicity,  that  the  King  "  did  not  know  him  as 
those  courtiers  pretended  to  do;  for,  had  his  Majesty 
known  him,  he  would  never  have  been  where  he  then 
was ;  or,  had  he  known  his  Majesty,  they  had  never  been 
so  long  where  they  then  were." 

To  the  furtherance  of  his  designs,  the  patronage,  or  at 
least  the  indulgence,  of  the  court,  was  far  more  essential 
than  his  individual  efforts ;  and  Ralegh,  with  a  perseverance 
not  to  be  daunted,  resolved  to  address  himself,  again  and 
again,  to  that  source,  humbly  to  supplicate  permission  to 
venture  the  wreck  of  his  fortunes,   and  the  remaining 

*  See  Original.  Letter.  f  Harleian  Miscel.any,  iii.  145. 

J  Ralegh's  Apol.  for  the  Voyage  ti  Guiana,  im  Birch,  vol.  ii.  p.  52,  53 


216  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

,«jc  strength  of  an  enfeebled  constitution,  in  the  service 
of  his  country.  In  Sir  Ralph  Winwood  lie  met 
with  a  degree  of  indulgence  and  encouragement  to  which 
he  had  long  been  a  stranger.  Winwood  had  but  recently- 
acquired  a  justly  merited  portion  of  influence,  from  which 
he  had  been  precluded  during  the  prosperity  of  Somerset ; 
who,  although  occupying  the  less  important  office  of  cham- 
berlain, had  engrossed  the  actual  control  of  all  state  em- 
ployments, and  had  suffered  no  places  nor  favors  to  be 
given  away  except  by  his  own  hands,  or  through  his  ac- 
knowledged mediation.*  Upon  the  disgrace  of  Somerset, 
Winwood  had  a  transitory  enjoyment  of  real  authority, 
which  was  closed,  however,  by  his  death,  in  less  than  two 
years,  worn  out  by  age,  and  still  more  by  the  fatigues  of 
an  active  and  anxious  career.  To  him,  Ralegh  now,  how- 
ever, addressed  a  letter,  induced,  probably,  to  hope  for  a 
favorable  reply  to  his  petitions,  from  the  integrity  of  Win- 
wood, who  required  no  bribery  from  suitors  to  enforce  the 
justice  of  their  petitions,  and  by  his  well-known  abilities 
and  attainments,  which  might  enable  the  veteran  ambas- 
sador justly  to  appreciate  schemes  of  public  utility.  It 
was,  also,  a  circumstance  of  some  avail  to  Ralegh,  that  Sir 
Ralph  was  in  close  union  with  the  Queen,  who,  in  con- 
junction with  the  secretary,  had  formed  the  rival  party  to 
Somerset  and  to  his  factionf ;  for  it  is  evident,  from  the 
whole  tenor  of  Anne's  conduct  to  Ralegh,  that  she  was 
fully  sensible  of  his  innocence,  and  persuaded  of  the  loyalty 
of  his  actions  and  motives.  To  this  favorable  disposition, 
Ralegh,  in  his  letter  to  Sir  Ralph  Winwood,  on  this  occa- 
sion, makes  a  pointed  allusion,  when  he  observes,  that  "  the 
wife,  the  brother,  and  the  son  of  a  King,  do  not  use  to  sue 
for  men  suspect.]:"  Seconded  by  friends  so  powerful,  and 
possessing  in  the  Queen  one  who  during  the  short  remain- 
der of  her  life  never  forsook  him,  it  might  seem  that  Ra- 
legh's days  of  prosperity  had  now  returned  with  renewed 
freshness ;  yet  never  was  he  in  a  condition  of  more  immi- 
nent peril  than  at  this  juncture,  when,  emerging  apparent 
ly  from  obscurity  and  distress,  he  hastened  into  snares 
which  were  curiously  connected  with  the  political  concerns 
and  intrigues  of  the  period. 

*  Wilson's  James  I.,  p.  698.    Grainger  i.  p.  381.       f  Wilson,  p.  696. 
X  Letter  in  Cayley,  vol.  ii.  p.  58.    See  Appendix. 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  217 

It  had  ever  been  a  determined  project  with  King  James, 
that  the  "  beams"  of  his  eldest  son's  greatness  should  dis- 
play themselves  only  in  a  royal  horizon  *     The  death  of 
Prince  Henry  had  occasioned  no  change  in  his  plan ;  for 
that   lamented  youth,  although  far  more  beloved   by  the 
people  than  the  serious  and  reserved  Prince  Charles,  had 
never  either  shared  the  affections,  nor  participated  in  the 
intimacy,  of  the  King.     The  inclinations  of  James  were 
well  understood  at  the  Spanish  Court,  and  his  hopes  per- 
petually excited  of  an  union  between  the  house  of  Stuart 
and  the  Infanta  of  Spain,  daughter  of  Philip  III.     The 
treaty,   however,  proceeded  but  slowly,  partly  from  the 
natural  caution  and  gravity  of  the  Spanish  character,  and 
partly,  as  it  was  thought,  from  a  dread  which  the  Spaniards 
entertained,  of  renewing  a  species  of  bond  and  alliance, 
which  had  proved  so  disastrous  between  them  in  the  in- 
stance of  Henry  VIII.  and  Katharine  of  Arragon.f     It  was 
during  this  uncertain  state  of  affairs,  that  Don  Diego  of 
Sarmiento,  better  known  in  this  country  by  the  name  of 
Gondemar,  was  selected  by  the  Spanish  ministry  to  act  as 
ambassador  in  England ;  not,  indeed,  without  well-ground- 
ed expectations  that  his  address,  vivacity,  and  consummate 
effrontery,  would  work  upon  the  simplicity  of  James,  and 
reduce  him  wholly  to  a  conformity  to  the  interests  of  Spain. 
Furnished  not  only  with  all  the  requisites  of  an  expert 
courtier,  but  with  ample  means  of  bribery  and  corruption, 
Gondemar  soon  contrived  to  bring  the  most  important  per- 
sonages, whether  male  or  female,  in  the  court,  into  a  close 
compact  with  him,  and  into  a  full  co-operation  with  his  in- 
trigues.    The  derelictions  from  integrity,  which  were  at 
this  time  prevalent  among  the  highest  officers  of  state, 
were  both  scandalous  and  appalling ;  and  of  these  Gonde- 
mar knew  well  how  to  avail  himself;  nor  was  his  danger- 
ous influence  to  be  estimated  only  by  the  duration  of  his 
power.     He  implanted  within  the  bosom  of  the  court  seeds 
of  avarice,   and  of  notions  of  self-aggrandizement, — the 
fruits  and  effects  of  which  were  transmitted  from  father  to 
son ;  and  the  boasted  ages  of  James  I.,  and  of  his  son,  un- 
duly extolled,  as  they  have  been,  as  an  era  of  private  virtue 
and  probity,  evince,  in  then  annals,  corruptions  which  were 

*  Wilson,  702. 

t  Weldon,  32.    See  also  Lodge's  Illustrations,  iii.  286. 

T 


218  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

nearly,  if  not  wholly  unknown,  among  the  English  nobility 
under  the  capricious,  but  rigid  dominion  of  the  Tudors.  So 
notorious,  indeed,  were  the  practices  of  Gondemar  upon 
the  virtue  of  our  courtiers,  that,  in  a  few  years  after  his 
residence  in  England,  there  was  said  not  to  be  a  single 
courtier  who  had  not  tasted  of  Spanish  bounty ;  and  if  Ce- 
cil himself  were  exempt,  his  favorite,  the  Countess  of  Suf- 
folk, was  permitted  by  him  to  reap  the  profits  of  his  pur- 
chased influence — the  famous  palace  of  Audley  End  having 
been  unblushingly  erected  by  the  aid  of  bribes  received 
from  the  Spanish  ambassador. 

These,  although  notorious,  are  but  scanty  instances 
among  the  numerous  collusions  of  the  same  nature  alluded 
to  by  historians. 

It  was  during  the  height  of  the  Spanish  dominion  over 
the  king  and  court,  that  Ralegh  was  unhappily  induced  to 
bring  to  maturity  his  cherished  schemes  of  subduing  Gui- 
ana. The  Spaniards  had  already  looked  with  jealousy 
upon  his  former  expeditions,  but  had  either  dreaded  the 
displeasure  of  his  early  patroness,  the  formidable  Elizabeth, 
or  had  discarded  the  task  of  frustrating  the  progress  of  our 
colonists  in  that  quarter  for  more  important  contests.  The 
renewal  of  his  designs,  however,  at  a  time  when  the  influ- 
ence of  the  Spanish  Court  seemed  to  be  fairly  established 
here,  was  no  sooner  imparted  to  the  public  than  it  was  ve- 
hemently opposed  by  the  insidious  yet  determined  Gonde- 
mar. Unluckily  he  had  in  James  a  frail  vessel  upon  which 
to  pour  the  venom  of  his  machinations.  The  King,  on  this 
occasion,  conducted  himself  with  a  vacillation  and  pusil- 
lanimity verging  into  deception  of  the  most  reprehensible 
character.  He  had,  in  the  first  instance,  cordially  acqui- 
esced in  Ralegh's  project,  and,  according  to  some  accounts, 
had  acceded  to  the  release  of  that  oppressed  subject  the 
more  readily  that  some  remote  prospects  of  wealth  and 
conquest  seemed  to  await  his  restored  exertions.  With  a 
degree  of  treachery  which  indecision  and  weakness  can 
account  for,  but  not  excuse,  he  now  not  only  imparted  the 
nature  of  the  whole  scheme  to  Gondemar,  but  enabled  the 
ambassador  to  furnish  the  Spanish  monarch  with  every  par- 
ticular of  the  intended  attack,  and  consequently  with  the 
means  of  annulling  its  success.* 

*  Biographia.    Life  of  Ralegh. 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  219 

Unconscious  of  these  proceedings,  Ralegh  prepared  to 
venture  the  last  remains  of  a  once  ample  fortune  m  the 
fatal  enterprise  on  which  he  was  intent.     The  expenses 
of  this  expedition  were  defrayed  entirely  by  himself  or  by 
his  friends,  some  few  adventurers,  chiefly  foreigners,  being 
found  to  share  in  the  undertaking*     The  sum  of  eight 
thousand  pounds,  which  had  been  granted  by  King  James 
as  a  compensation  for  the  sequestration  of  Ralegh's  valua- 
ble estates,  was  now  reclaimed  from  the  Countess  of  Bed- 
ford, to  whom  it  had  been  lent.f     The  disinterested  and 
devoted  Lady  Ralegh  gave  her  consent  to  the  sole  of  an 
estate  belonging  to  her  at  Mitcham  in  Surrey,  and  valued 
at  two  thousand  five  hundred  pounds;  a  sacrifice  by  which 
she  was  reduced  eventually  almost  to  beggary,  but  which 
proved  her  confidence  in  the  good  faith  of  her  husband,  and 
her  belief  both  in  the  practicability  of  his  scheme,  and  in 
his  intentions  of  fulfilling  his  professions  regarding  Guiana. 
A  commission  was  also  procured  through  the  mediation  of 
Sir  Ralph  Winwood,  constituting  Ralegh  Admiral  of  the 
Fleet,  and  dated  Aug.  26,  1616 ;  but  this  document  was 
not  granted  until  after  he  had  given  the  most  decided  assu- 
rances to  the  government  that  he  had  no  hostile  intentions 
or  piratical  designs  upon  the  Spanish   settlements;   and 
chiefly,  according  to  the  noted  declaration  of  King  James, 
afterwards  published,  because  it  "  stood  with  His  Majes- 
ty's politic  and  magnanimous  courses  in  these  his  flourish- 
ing times  of  peace  to  nourish  and  encourage  noble  and 
generous  enterprises  for  plantations,  discoveries,  and  open- 
ing of  new  trades.J"     To  this  document,  the  Privy  Seal 
was  alone  affixed,  as  King  James  in  his  declaration  affirm- 
ed ;  yet  Ralegh  is  said  to  have  referred  to  the  authority  of 
the  Great  Seal  in  a  letter  which  he  dictated  to  be  written 
relative  to  his  voyage,  J  and  the  powers  vested  in  him  were 
both  extensive  and  important. 
The  commission  specified,  that  for  the  benefit  of  the 

*01dys,  193.  fCayley,  ii.  61.  J  Declaration  of  King  James. 

SOldys,  193.  Cayley.  Appendix.  This  was  a  letter  written  by  Mr. 
Peter  Vanlore,  an  eminent  merchant,  to  his  brother  at  Amsterdam,  in 
favor  of  Ralegh's  undertaking,  entreating  him  to  receive  some  deposi 
tions  of  importance  relative  to  Guiana,  from  a  merchant  of  Amsterdam, 
who  required,  as  the  reward  of  the  information  which  he  was  able  to 
give  an  agreement  on  the  part  of  Ralegh  that  he  should  share  the  profits 
of  the  commodity  referred  to  in  the  intelligence  thus  afforded.— Oldyg 
fbl.  193 


220  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

subjects  of  the  realm,  and  the  encouragement  of  others  in 
the  "like  laudable  enterprises,  the  princely  furtherance 
was  given  to  Sir  Walter  Ralegh  and  his  friends,  with  full 
power  to  carry  for  the  voyage  to  Guiana  so  many  of  the 
British  subjects,  or  such  as  should  become  British  subjects, 
as  should  willingly  accompany  him,  with  an  unlimited  supply 
of  arms,  ammunition,  ships,"  &c.  To  these  clauses  was 
added  the  permission  to  trade  in  goods  and  merchandise, 
and  to  bring  back  gold,  silver,  bullion,  and  other  wares  to 
this  country,  "  for  the  proper  use  of  Sir  Walter  Ralegh 
and  his  company,  reserving  to  the  King  and  his  heirs,  one 
fifth  only  of  such  importations."  In  addition  to  these  pow- 
ers, Ralegh  was  authorized  to  pass  to  the  south  or  other 
parts  of  America ;  was  constituted  also  general  and  com- 
mander of  the  enterprise ;  governor  of  the  new  country, 
and  endowed  with  the  privilege  of  exercising  martial  law, 
in  a  similar  manner  to  the  county  lieutenants  in  England, 
or  to  the  lieutenant-general  of  land  or  sea  forces.  Respect- 
ing this  commission,  of  which  an  abstract  was  given  sub- 
sequently to  Ralegh's  death  in  King  James's  declaration, 
various  reports  were  circulated ;  and  in  particular  a  state- 
ment was  made  that  the  words  "  to  our  trusty  and  well- 
beloved  knight,  Sir  Walter  Ralegh,"  were  prefixed ;  ex- 
pressions which  Ralegh  is  said  to  have  afterwards  pleaded 
as  implying  a  pardon.*  Regarding  this  important  detail 
the  royal  declaration  is  silent ;  although  it  gives  an  abstract 
of  the  original  commission.  It  has  been  well  remarked 
that  the  disingenuity  and  artifice  of  the  whole  proceeding 
was  manifested  in  the  terms  of  this  abstract ;  the  country 
which  Ralegh  was  empowered  to  explore  not  being  even 
once  specified  by  name,  and  America  alone  referred  to  as 
the  vast  and  indefinite  region  of  his  enterprise.  Such  was 
the  paltry  subterfuge  by  which  James,  or  his  ministers, 
sought  to  evade  the  displeasure  of  the  Spaniards,  in  the 
event  of  hostile  measures  between  Ralegh  and  the  Span- 
ish settlers  in  Guiana  proving  eventually  necessary. 

The  sanguine  expectations  of  success  which  Ralegh  en- 
tertained, appear  to  have  lessened  his  natural  discernment, 
and  to  have  blinded  him  to  the  snares  concealed  in  the 

*See  Declaration  of  King  James  in  Oldys,  193, 194,  also  Birch,  i.  68. 
t  Ralegh's  Remains,  p.  200.    Rapin's  History  of  England,  and  Trini 
dad's  notes. 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  221 

apparent  liberality  of  the  King's  dealings  towards  him,  and 
to  the  danger  of  confiding  in  a  government  which  had 
already,  upon  unsatisfactory  evidence  and  an  illegal  trial, 
subjected  him  to  a  cruel  incarceration.  Some  misgivings 
appear  to  have  suggested  the  notion  of  a  more  definite  re- 
lease from  his  former  sentence,  than  he  had  hitherto  found 
it  possible,  or  deemed  it  essential  to  procure.  Assured,  to 
all  appearance,  of  the  King's  perfect  accordance,  and  even 
patronage ;  and  trusting  in  the  good  faith  of  a  monarch  to 
whom  that  principle  of  action  was  unknown,  and  who 
could  afterwards  avail  himself  of  an  informality  to  depart 
from  the  virtual  sense  of  an  implied  permission,  Ralegh 
was  not  devoid  of  a  natural  apprehension  concerning  the 
use  to  which  his  enemies  might,  subsequently,  apply  any 
deficiency  in  the  forms  of  his  restoration  to  an  implied 
equality  with  his  free  fellow-subjects.  As  his  liberation 
had  been  effected  by  working  upon  the  corruptions  of  the 
times,  so  he  now  turned  his  attention  to  obtaining  explici 
pardon  through  the  same  means.  There  was  in  those  days 
but  little  difficulty  in  obtaining  almost  any  boon  for  money, 
and  Ralegh  had  even  a  proposal  from  Sir  William  St.  John, 
who  had  been  instrumental  in  procuring  his  liberation,  tc 
effect  his  pardon  for  the  sum  of  j£1500.*  But  being,  proba- 
bly, not  in  a  state  to  aftbrd  such  a  payment,  in  addition  to 
the  expenses  of  his  projected  voyage,  Ralegh  had  recourse 
to  the  advice  of  Lord  Bacon,  then  Lord  Keeper,  and  him- 
self but  recently  restored  to  royal  favor.  Upon  the  coun- 
sels of  this  profound  observer  of  human  nature  and  its 
concerns,  the  ill-fated  Ralegh  rejected  the  overture  made 
to  him  by  Sir  William  St.  John.  The  memorable  and  dis- 
tinct assurance  of  the  illustrious  Bacon,  on  this  occasion, 
is  related  by  two  contemporary  writers,  and  it  exonerates 
Ralegh  from  the  charge  either  of  indiscretion,  or  of  neg- 
ligence, in  not  obtaining  the  necessary  documents.  "  Sir,' 
said  the  highly-gifted  minister,  in  reply  to  his  application 
"  the  knee-timber  of  your  voyage  is  money ;  spare  youi 
purse  in  this  particular ;  for,  upon  my  life,  you  have  a  suf- 
ficient pardon  for  all  that  is  passed  already :  the  King 
having,  under  his  broad  seal,  made  you  Admiral  of  hia 
Fleet,  and  given  you  power  of  the  martial  law  over  your 

*  Brief  Relation  of  Ralegh's  Troubles.    Remains. 

T2 


222  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

officers  and  soldiers.*"  This  opinion,  besides  elucidating 
the  opinion  of  Bacon  upon  the  illegality  of  the  subsequent 
proceedings  against  Ralegh,  establishes  the  fact  of  the 
original  commission  having  been  given  under  the  Great 
Seal,  notwithstanding  that  it  is  expressly  set  down  in  the 
King's  printed  declaration  as  "per  breve  de  privato  sigil- 
lo.f"  But  although  the  advice  was  consonant,  not  only 
with  law,  but  with  common  sense,  the  motives  of  Bacon  in 
affording  it  have  been  questioned,  and  attributed  to  a  ser- 
vile desire  of  flattering  the  King's  wishes,  by  affording 
James  an  opportunity  of  excusing  any  future  prosecution 
of  Ralegh,  upon  the  ground  of  the  sentence  of  death  passed 
against  him  in  1603,  never  having  been  repealed.  Un- 
happily the  character  of  Bacon  authorizes  no  indignant 
rejection  of  surmises  too  easily  reconcilable  with  the  cor- 
ruption of  his  conduct,  and  the  unfathomable  duplicity  of 
his  nature.  But,  since  there  is  no  proof  of  the  charge,  no 
record  of  any  particular  benefit  which  he  derived  from  the 
counsel,  it  may  be  hoped,  if  not  inferred,  that  Bacon  was 
in  this  instance  innocent  of  betraying  one  who  trusted  in 
his  counsels,  and  enthusiastically  reverenced  his  talents ; 
one  whose  labors  for  the  improvement  of  mankind,  sprung, 
like  those  of  Bacon,  in  many  instances,  from  the  pure 
sources  of  patriotism  and  philanthropy,  and  raising  them 
both,  in  that  sense,  far  above  the  level  of  the  age  in  which 
they  lived,  and  the  characters  by  whom  they  were  sur- 
rounded, procured  for  them  memorials  of  fame  independ- 
ent of  the  passing  history  with  which  they  were  but  tem- 
porarily connected,  and  distinct  from  the  errors  by  which 
their  conduct  in  relation  to  worldly  concerns  was  lamenta- 
bly sullied. 

All  preliminaries  being  arranged,  Ralegh,  seven  months 
after  the  date  of  the  royal  commission,  completed  the  pre- 
paration of  his  fleet ;  and  on  the  28th  of  March,  1618,  be- 
gan his  ill-omened  voyage,  and  sailed  down  the  Thames. 
In  assembling  the  force  with  which  he  prepared  to  set  forth 
upon  this  expedition,  having  had  recourse  to  the  aid  of 
several  merchant  adventurers,  he  was  compelled  to  accept 
as  his  associates,  and  to  collect  as  his  subordinate  assistants, 

*See  Howell's  Familiar  Letters.  Oxford  Edition  of  Ralegh's  Workg, 
vol.  viii.  p.  752. 

fNote  to  Biog. ;  Life  of  Ralegh:  and  Observations  on  Sanderson'! 
Hist.  K  James,  p.  10. 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  223 

men,  and  even  officers,  who  had  never  witnessed  either 
land  or  sea  service  ;  and  of  desperate,  or  at  least  disreput- 
able characters,  whose  friends  were  happy  to  procure  for 
them  any  employment,  which  for  the  sum  of  forty  or  fifty 
pounds  could  retain  them  abroad  for  a  year ;  and  if  not  out 
of  mischief,  at  least  in  habits  of  active  exertion  for  some 
time.  The  volunteers  on  this  occasion  were,  therefore, 
with  the  exception  of  forty  gentlemen,  a  disorderly  and  in- 
efficient assemblage  of  dissolute  and  unprofitable  persons, 
whom  it  was  Ralegh's  hopeless  task  to  organize,  and  to 
stimulate  with  the  same  ardent  desires  as  those  which  ani- 
mated his  own  bosom.  In  describing  these,  his  compan- 
ions, Ralegh  expresses  himself  in  these  characteristic 
terms :  "  Their  friends,"  says  he,  "  thought  it  an  exceeding 
good  gain  to  be  discharged  of  them,  at  the  hazard  of  some 
thirty,  some  forty,  or  fifty  pounds,  knowing  they  could  not 
Jive  so  cheap  at  home.*"  These  valiant  characters,  stowed, 
at  first,  in  six  different  ships,  were  joined  by  several  others 
before  they  left  the  English  coast.  Ralegh,  in  a  vessel  ap- 
propriately named  "  The  Destiny,"  carrying  440  tons  and 
36  pieces  of  ordnance,  and  built  at  his  own  charge,  was  ac- 
companied by  his  eldest  son  as  captain,  and  by  two  hundred 
volunteers,  eighty  of  whom  were  gentlemen,  and  many  of 
them  his  relations,  the  number  of  whom  was  afterwards  in- 
creased.! For  the  benefit  of  this  motley  company,  , „,~ 
Ralegh,  previous  to  their  sailing,  published  at  Ply- 
mouth orders  to  be  observed  by  the  several  commanders 
of  the  fleet  and  land  forces.f  It  is  observable,  that  he  who 
was  taxed  by  the  illiberal  and  uncharitable  part  of  the 
community  in  his  own  day,  and  who  has,  in  a  great  mea- 
sure, been  supposed  even  in  the  present  age  to  have  been 
coldly  affected  to  religion, §  prefaces  these  regulations  with 
strict  injunctions  to  begin  and  close  the  day  with  Divine 
service ;  enforcing  his  exhortations  with  a  solemn  admoni- 
tion, by  which  he  reminds  them  that  "  no  action  nor  enter- 
prise can  prosper  (be  it  by  land  or  sea),  without  the  favor 
and  assistance  of  Almighty  God,  the  Lord  and  strength  of 
hosts  and  armies ;"  and  enjoining  them,  if  there  be  inter- 
ruption from  foul  weather,  to  perform  this  important  and 

*  Camden's  Annals.    Ralegh,  Apology  for  his  Voyage  to  Guiana,  Ox- 
ford ed.  of  his  works, 
t  Cayley,  vol.  ii.  p.  65.  %  Birch,  i.  icvii. 

§  See  Hume's  History  of  England,  reign  of  James  I. 


224  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTEL  RALEGH. 

consolatory  duty  at  least  once  during  the  day ;  "  praising 
God  every  night  with  singing  of  a  psalm  at  the  setting  of 
the  watch.*" 

Such  was  the  spirit  of  his  last  instructions  previous  to 
the  commencement  of  his  voyage.  If,  in  directing  an  im- 
moral and  undisciplined  crew,  he  deemed  the  soothing  in- 
fluence of  religious  habits  efficacious,  it  is  to  he  hoped  that 
he  experienced  also,  in  his  own  mind,  the  benign  effects  of 
those  serious  and  pious  contemplations  to  which  his  mind 
appears  to  have  resorted  in  the  seasons  of  his  heavy  afflic- 
tions ;  and  which  could  alone  effectually  support  him  in  the 
renewed  and  overwhelming  calamities  which  it  was  soon 
his  destiny  to  encounter. 

The  very  outset  of  Ralegh's  enterprise  was  inauspicious. 
It  was  late  in  June,  or  perhaps  early  in  July,  before  he  had 
fairly  put  to  sea,  and,  after  various  disappointments  and 
impediments  previous  to  his  voyage,  he  was  obliged  by 
tempestuous  weather  to  take  refuge  in  the  harbor  of  Cork, 
where  he  remained  until  the  month  of  August  had  nearly 
elapsed,  and  was  spent  in  anxiety  and  inactivity.  These 
disasters  were  aggravated,  if  not  at  the  time,  at  a  subse- 
quent period,  by  reports  that  he  had  no  intention  of  going 
to  Guiana,  but  that  he  lingered  at  Plymouth  when  he  had 
a  fair  wind ;  a  rumor  which  was  accompanied  by  the  con- 
trary assertion,  that  he  meant  to  turn  pirate,  and  to  return 
to  his  country  no  more.f  And  a  similar  accusation  was  re- 
iterated against  his  involuntary  loss  of  time  in  Ireland, 
which  he  had  no  intention  of  touching  when  he  left  Eng- 
land. These  disparaging  and  defamatory  statements  were 
attributed  by  Ralegh  to  the  circumstance  of  his  being  in 
the  eye  of  tire  law  still  a  culprit,  which  emboldened  all  who 
were  disaffected  to  his  interests  and  service,  to  spread 
abroad  calumnies  which  they  would  not  have  dared  to  utter 
against  one  who  basked  in  the  sunshine  of  royal  favor.|  At 
length,  in  September,  he  gained  the  Canary  Islands ;  in 
October,  those  of  Cape  de  Verd ;  reaching,  in  November, 
the  continent  of  South  America.  In  this  calamitous  pas- 
sage an  accumulation  of  disasters  arrived,  which  no  pen 
but  that  of  Ralegh  could  describe  in  the  touching  language 
in  which  he  poured  forth  his  sorrows  to  his  anxious  and 
ever-devoted  wife.§ 

*  Ralegh's  Apol.  in  Cayley,  vol.  ii.  p.  84.  t  Ibid.  t  Apology. 

§  See  Letter  to  Lady  Ralegh,  in  Ralegh's  Remains,  duod.  1664. 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  225 

In  this  letter,  the  first  which  he  addressed  to  her  from 
Guiana,  he  describes  himself  as  suffering  from  the  most 
violent  calenture  (or  fever)  for  fifteen  days,  that  man  ever 
endured  and  survived :  "  but  God,"  he  continues,  "  that  gave 
me  a  strong  heart  in  all  my  adversities,  hath  also  now 
strengthened  it  in  the  hell-fire  of  heat." 

During  the  course  of  the  voyage  forty-two  persons  died 
of  some  contagious  distemper,  and  many  of  the  crew  were 
still  diseased  upon  landing  at  Guiana.  Two  hundred  ef- 
fective men,  however,  remained ;  and,  with  these,  Ralegh 
expected  to  advance,  provided  that  the  Spaniards  had  not, 
upon  the  information  of  Gondemar,  fortified  themselves 
to  resist  his  approach ;  a  circumstance  which,  by  the  tone 
of  his  language,  he  seemed  to  consider  as  but  too  proba- 
ble.* 

In  this  conjunction  of  difficulties  and  of  disappointments, 
he  had  the  satisfaction  of  being  able  to  assure  the  anxious 
mother  whom  he  addressed,  that  their  eldest  son,  who  ac- 
companied him,  was  in  perfect  health,  and  had  escaped 
every  distemper  whilst  enduring  the  equinoctial  heat.  This 
consolatory  intelligence  was  soon  to  be  succeeded  by  tidings 
of  the  most  afflicting  nature,  both  to  him  who  was  destined  to 
communicate,  and  to  her  who  received  the  blow  which 
they  imparted.  Such  was  the  distress,  apprehension,  and 
regret,  which  Ralegh  experienced  during  these  early  days 
of  his  enterprise,  that,  in  desiring  to  be  remembered  to  two 
of  his  friends,  he  apologized  for  not  addressing  himself  to 
them  in  these  afflicting  terms  ; — "  I  write  not  to  them,  for 
I  can  write  of  naught  but  miseries.f  "  Yet,  in  the  extremi- 
ty of  his  suffering,  a  sanguine  temper,  and  still  more,  a 
confidence  in  the  superintendence  of  that  Providence  which 
had  permitted  him  to  pass  securely  the  dangers  of  the 
ocean,  upheld  and  cheered  him.  "  By  the  next,  I  trust,  you 
shall  hear  better  of  us :  in  God's  hands  we  were,  and  in 
Him  we  trust."  In  the  conclusion  of  his  letter,  the  vanity 
natural  to  human  nature  was  apparent,  and,  with  a  desire 
to  solace  the  individual  whom  he  addressed,  probably  insti- 
gated this  parting  effusion :  "  To  tell  you  that  I  might  be, 
here,  King  of  the  Indians,  were  a  vanity ;  but  my  name 
hath  lived  among  them :  here  they  feed  me  with  fresh  meat, 

*  Remains,  224.  t  Ibid.  225. 


226  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

and  all  that  the  country  yields — all  offer  to  obey  me.  Com 
mend  me  to  poor  Carew,  my  son.*" 

But  the  difficulties  and  suffering's  which  Ralegh  ermme- 
-ated  in  his  first  letter  from  Guiana  were  far  exceeded  by 
others  of  a  far  more  momentous  and  poignant  character,  ac- 
counted by  him,  in  his  narrative  to  Sir  Ralph  Winwood,  as 
the  greatest  misfortunes  that  ever  befell  any  man.f 

In  the  first  place,  the  passage  from  Cape  de  Verd  to 
America,  which  was  usually  in  those  days  accomplished  in 
fifteen  or  twenty  days,  was  with  difficulty  made  by  Ralegh 
in  six  weeks,  from  adverse  winds  and  storms,  and  the  addi- 
tional inconvenience  to  the  little  fleet  of  losing  its  water- 
casks  and  anchors  off  Bravo,  one  of  the  Cape  de  Verd 
Islands,  upon  which  it  was  driven  by  a  hurricane,  to  the 
imminent  peril  of  the  ships  and  mariners. 

When,  at  length,  the  adventurers  reached  Guiana,  many 
of  the  bravest  men  were  disabled  by  sickness,  and  Ralegh 
himself,  having,  as  he  describes  it,  been  "  in  the  hands  of 
death  these  six  weeks,"  was  carried  on  shore  in  a  chair, 
but  was  received  with  great  kindness  and  hospitality  by 
such  of  the  Indians  as  remembered  his  former  voyage. 

He  now  dispatched  Captain  Keymis,  who  was  well  ac- 
quainted with  the  country,  to  sad  into  the  Oronooko  in 
search  of  the  mine,  and  intrusted  him  with  the  command 
of  five  small  ships,  manned  with  the  most  valiant  portion 
of  the  crew  and  officers,  among  whom  were  Lord  North 
and  Lord  Mounteagle.  The  forces  of  this  devoted  and  en- 
terprising band  were  divided  into  five  companies,  one  of 
which  was  commanded  by  Captain  Ralegh,  who  was  des- 
tined never  to  return.  Another  was  conducted  by  George 
Ralegh,  a  nephew  of  Sir  Walter's,  who  thus  ventured  his 
best  and  dearest  connexions  in  the  cause,  in  the  success 
of  which  he  was  so  nearly  interested ;  and  concerning 
which,  he  may,  without  severity,  be  said  to  have  displayed 
some  degree  of  infatuation.  As  the  unfortunate  adven- 
turers passed  up  the  river,  the  Spaniards,  who  had  been 
apprized  by  intelligence  from  England  of  their  proceedings, 
attacked  them  both  with  muskets  and  ordnance.  The  first 
assault  was,  therefore,  made  on  the  side  of  the  Spaniards, 
but  the  English  soon  drove  them  out  of  St.  Thomas,  a  new 
town  belonging  to   the    Spaniards,   and   situated   on   the 

♦  Remains,  226.  t  Letter  to  Winwood,  Remains,  226. 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  227 

Oronooko.  In  this  action,  the  dauntless  youth,  Walter 
Ralegh,  "  more  desirous  of  honor  than  safety,"  was  killed  : 
"  with  whom,"  said  the  agonized  father,  "  to  say  truth,  all 
the  respects  of  this  world  have  taken  end  in  me.*"  Of 
this  event  Ralegh  was  informed  by  Keymis,  in  a  letter, 
dated  from  Oronooko  on  the  8th  of  January,  and  beginning 
m  a  manner  calculated  to  excite  parental  apprehensions. 
"  All  things  that  appertain  to  human  condition,"  began 
this  veteran  companion,  "  in  that  proper  nature  and  sense 
which  of  fate  and  necessity  belongeth  unto  them,  being 
now  over  with  your  son,  maketh  me  to  choose  rather,  with 
grief,  to  let  you  know  from  me  the  certain  truth,  than  un- 
certain lies  from  others,  which  is,  viz. — that  had  not  his 
extraordinary  valor  and  forwardness,  (which,  with  constant 
vigor  of  mind,  being  in  the  hands  of  death,  his  last  breath 
expressed  in  these  words,  '  Lord  have  mercy  on  me,  and 
prosper  your  enterprise,')  led  them  all  on,  when  some  be- 
gan to  pause  and  recoil  shamefully,  this  action  had  neither 
been  attempted  as  it  was,  nor  performed  as  it  is,  with  this 
surviving  honor. f"  That  the  son  was  worthy  of  his  ener- 
getic and  dauntless  parent  may  be  inferred  from  this  sim- 
ple account :  that  he  was  deeply  and  incessantly  mourned 
by  that  parent,  is  evident  from  the  perpetual  and  touching 
allusions  which  Ralegh,  in  every  narrative  of  this  unhappy 
affair,  makes  to  his  memory  and  early  fate.  This  part  of 
his  history  requires,  however,  no  comment.  Those,  who 
have  been  happy  enough  to  escape  the  severest  of  all  earth- 
ly privations,  the  loss  of  a  child  in  the  bloom  and  promise 
of  youth,  may  easily  comprehend  the  extent  of  his  sor- 
rows ;  those  who  have  encountered  a  similar  calamity,  will 
too  readily  feel  it.  The  particular  details  of  his  son's  death 
were  afterwards  too  soon  communicated  to  Ralegh,  sick, 
both  in  body  and  mind,  at  Trinidad,  where  he  had  prom- 
ised to  await  the  return  of  the  detachment.  The  troops 
commanded  by  Keymis  had  departed  from  Ralegh's  in- 
structions in  landing  near  St.  Thomas,  instead  of  pursuing, 
through  the  country,  that  real  or  imaginary  track  which  he 
had  designated  to  them  as  conducting  to  the  gold  mine 
which  they  sought.  Thus,  attacked  by  the  Spaniards,  and 
brought  into  immediate  contact  with  the  governor  of  the 
fort,  young  Ralegh  was  borne  down  by  the  but-end  of  a 

*  Letter  to  Winwood.  t  Sie  Keymis's  Letter. 


228  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

Spanish  musket,  in  the  hands  of  a  commander  whom  he 
pursued  at  the  head  of  a  company  of  pikes.  The  English 
captain's  sergeant  quickly  revenged  the  death  of  his  mas- 
ter, by  thrusting  his  halberd  into  the  body  of  the  Spanish 
officer.  Two  other  officers,  and  the  governor  himself,  fell 
in  the  engagement:  the  inhabitants  of  St.  Thomas  took 
shelter  in  the  market-place,  whence  they  committed  great 
havoc  on  the  assailants,  who,  in  an  evil  hour,  but,  as  they 
contended,  for  self-defence,  were  induced  to  set  fire  to  the 
town.  The  garrison  retreated  to  the  woods  and  moun- 
tains, still  harassing  their  English  foes,  and  steadily  guard- 
ing all  avenues  to  the  interior  of  the  country,  where,  as  it 
was  supposed  even  after  Ralegh's  death,  several  valuable 
mines  were  situated.* 

Of  this  affair,  especially  with  regard  to  the  share  which 
young  Ralegh  took  in  it,  various  and  contradictory  ac- 
counts were  transmitted.  It  was  the  current  report  of  the 
day,f  and  afterwards  asserted  by  royal  proclamation,  that 
this  young  commander,  on  leading  his  soldiers  forward  to 
the  town,  exclaimed,  "  Come  on,  my  hearts,  here  is  the 
mine  that  we  expect,  they  that  look  for  any  other  are 
fools4"  This  anecdote,  whether  true  or  false,  tends  not 
however  to  substantiate,  as  King  James  infers,  the  opinion 
that  the  mine  of  Guiana  was  an  airy  scheme,  uncredited 
by  the  followers  of  Ralegh,  and  sketched  out  by  him  only 
for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  liberty  to  try  the  ground  of 
enterprise,  cherishing  at  the  same  time  some  sinister  and 
unavowed  motive.  The  thoughtlessness  of  youth,  to  whom 
the  present  time  and  the  nearest  object  are  ever  most  im- 
portant, may  have  induced  the  unexperienced  and  daring 
officer  to  tempt  his  soldiers  with  the  prospect  of  immediate 
booty,  as  most  attainable  and  precious.  It  is,  however, 
probable,  from  the  silence  of  Keymis  on  this  point,  that  the 
speech  was  fabricated  by  some  of  the  many  individuals 
whom  Ralegh  found  reason  to  regard,  even  among  his  own 
officers,  as  enemies  and  calumniators. 

On  the  18th  of  January,  Keymis  prepared  to  proceed  to 
the  mine,  which  was  situated,  according  to  report,  at  the 
distance  of  eight  miles  only  from  the  town.  It  is  remarka- 
ble that  he  saw  neither  coin  nor  bullion  in  St.  Thomas,  al- 


*  Birch,  i.  78.  f  Howell's  Letters,  Oxf  edit,  of  Ralegh,  vol.  viii. 

J  Ohiys,  note,  foi.  203. 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  229 

though  the  principal  houses,  as  he  affirms  in  his  letter  to 
Ralegh,  were  those  belonging  to  gold  refiners.*  Encour- 
aged by  the  representations  of  a  Mulatto  servant,  who  had 
been  in  the  service  of  the  Governor,  and  who  positively 
described  the  precise  situation  of  several  mines,  Keymis, 
accompanied  by  three  of  his  principal  officers,  attempted  tc 
land  on  an  unexplored  part  of  the  shores  of  the  Oronooko, 
but  was  driven  back  by  an  ambuscade  of  Spaniards,  with 
the  loss  of  two  of  his  men,  and  the  complete  disablement 
of  one  officer.  The  repulse  overpowered  the  resolution  of 
the  captain,  who  was  either  inexcusably  timid  in  his  mili- 
tary operations,  or  secretly  deficient  in  confidence  with 
respect  to  the  object  which  it  was  his  mission  to  seek.  It 
may  readily  be  supposed,  that  the  last  inference  was  too 
readily  drawn  by  those  who  had  either  but  little  reliance 
on  Ralegh's  sincerity,  or  who  had  private  motives  for  put- 
ting the  worst  construction  on  his  conduct.  The  fact  of 
Keymis's  desertion  of  his  search,  upon  a  partial  success 
checked  only  by  a  trifling  defeat,  is  indeed  remarkable: 
and,  if  the  intentions  of  a  commander  of  an  expedition  are 
always  to  be  estimated  by  the  proceedings  of  his  officers, 
extremely  injurious  to  Ralegh's  reputation. 

Struck  with  panic,  or  actuated  by  treachery,  Keymis  set 
sail,  and  proceeded  down  the  river  to  Punto  de  Gallo,  a 
port  near  Trinidad,  where  Ralegh  had  awaited  his  return 
in  the  greatest  anxiety,  both  for  tidings  of  his  success,  and 
lest  the  Spanish  fleet,  which,  as  he  had  been  apprized,  was 
arrived  to  attack  him,  should  overwhelm  him  with  its  une- 
qual forces  during  the  absence  of  that  portion  of  his  land 
and  sea  forces  which  Keymis  commanded.  Sickness  had 
enfeebled  his  men,  and  impaired  his  own  powers  of  exer- 
tion ;  and  treachery  had  contaminated  his  crew.  It  was 
his  custom,  and  probably  his  delight,  to  go  on  shore  from 
time  to  time,  to  make  observations  both  of  a  botanical  and 
mineralogical  nature ;  thus  refreshing  his  spirits  with  the 
consolatory  investigations  of  Nature's  stores,  curious,  and 
in  many  respects  bounteous,  in  that  region.  In  a  journal 
which  he  wrote  of  part  of  this  expedition,  and  which  has 
been  preserved  in  the  British  Museum  amongst  the  manu- 
scripts of  his  friend  Sir  Robert  Cotton,  Ralegh  minutely 
describes  the  productions  of  the  country  which  he,  in  this 

*  Oldys,  204,  from  Ralegh's  Apology,  p.  32. 

u 


2.30  I IFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

manner,  industriously  explored.*  But  whilst  he  was  thug 
beneficially  engaged,  a  rumor  that  his  ships  were  loaded 
with  treasure  to  a  large  amount,  tempted  a  considerable 
number  of  his  crew  to  discuss  the  expediency  of  leaving 
him  on  those  shores,  a  prey  to  wild  beasts,  or  to  the  Span- 
iards, who  had  already  wreaked  their  vengeance  upon 
some  of  the  English  by  flaying  them  alive,  f  The  distress 
produced  in  the  mind  of  Ralegh  by  these  various  circum- 
stances, received  the  bitterest  aggravation  when  Keymis, 
with  his  detachment,  joined  him  in  February  at  Punto  de 
Gallo,  after  an  absence  of  two  months ;  a  period  fraught 
with  events  productive  of  destruction  to  that  unhappy  offi- 
cer himself,  and  with  disgrace  and  eventual  ruin  to  the 
unfortunate  Ralegh.  The  intelligence,  which  Keymis 
brought,  was  rendered  doubly  mortifying  by  the  fact  that 
even  on  his  return  down  the  Oronooko,  a  chance  had  been 
rejected  by  him  of  retrieving  the  honor  of  the  expedition, 
proposals  of  the  most  tempting  character  having  been  made 
to  him  by  some  Guaian  chiefs  who  had  remembered  Ralegh 
in  his  former  expedition,  and  who  held  a  part  of  that  coun- 
try in  nominal  trust  for  Queen  Elizabeth.]:  The  plea  which 
Keymis  made  for  refusing  the  assistance  of  these  people 
was  that  he  apprehended  treachery,  and  collusion  with  the 
Spaniards.  But  Ralegh,  to  whose  ardent  mind,  this  reluc- 
tance to  incur  some  portion  of  risk  for  the  sake  of  all  that 
could  be  valuable  to  a  man  so  pledged  and  so  involved  as 
himself,  appeared  the  basest  pusillanimity,  contended  with 
justice  that  Keymis  might  have  waited  till  the  promised 
ore,  with  which  the  Indians  lured  them  to  return,  had  been 
brought  to  their  vessels ;  and  he  disputed  the  probability 
of  treachery  on  the  part  of  these  natives,  since  they  had 
offered  to  leave  six  hostages  for  one.  His  judgment  on  this 
point  was  possibly  correct ;  unhappily,  the  fatal  error  was 
irreclaimable. 

When  Ralegh  and  Keymis  met,  it  was  only  to  receive 
reproaches  and  the  effusions  of  keen  disappointment  on  one 
side,  and  to  pour  forth  ineffectual  excuses  on  the  other. 
After  some  days  of  recrimination  and  mutual  dissatisfac- 
tion, Keymis  entered  Ralegh's  cabin,  and  showing  him  a 
letter  which  he  had  written  to  the  Earl  of  Arundel,  exten- 
uating his  conduct,  entreated  Ralegh  to    "  allow  of  hia 

*  Titus,  B.  Vril.,  Oldys,  204.        fOldys,  204.        f  Ralegh's  Apology 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  231 

apology."  But  Ralegh,  in  the  bitterness  of  his  heart,  a  rid 
with  a  severity  to  his  old  companion  in  arms  only  to  be 
excused  by  the  poignancy  of  disappointment,  told  him  tiiat 
he  had  undone  him  by  his  obstinacy,  and  that  he  would  not 
"  favor  nor  color  in  any  sort  his  former  folly."  Keymis 
asked  him  "  if  that  were  his  determination  J"  to  which 
Ralegh  replied  that  it  was  his  fixed  resolution.  The  un- 
happy Keymis  then  said,  "  I  know  not  then,  Sir,  what 
course  to  take :"  and  retiring  to  his  cabin  shot  himself 
through  the  ribs,  and  stabbed  himself  to  the  heart.  Ra- 
legh, unsuspicious  of  his  design,  sent  to  know  who  had 
fired  the  pistol,  when  he  was  answered  by  Keymis,  lying 
on  his  bed,  that  he  had  discharged  it  because  it  had  been 
long  loaded.  With  this  reply  Ralegh  was  satisfied ;  but 
half  an  hour  afterwards,  a  boy  going  into  the  cabin,  found 
the  wretched  officer  quite  dead,  with  a  long  knife  plunged 
into  his  heart,  and  a  pistol,  the  first  instrument  with  which 
he  had  attempted  suicide,  lying  near  him,  the  bullet  having 
merely  broken  a  rib,  and  proceeded  no  farther.  The  knife, 
with  which  the  fatal  deed  was  accomplished,  was  then  re- 
sorted to  for  the  destructive  purpose.* 

Of  this  catastrophe,  Ralegh  wrote  an  account  to  Sir 
Ralph  Winwood,  declaring  in  the  same  letter,  that  if  he 
had  not  been  deserted  by  some  of  his  captains,  he  would 
have  left  his  body  at  St.  Thomas's  by  his  son's,  or  have 
brought  with  him  out  of  that  or  other  mines  so  much  gold 
ore  as  should  have  satisfied  the  King.  "  I  propounded, 
adds  he,  "no  vain  thing  ;  what  shall  become  of  me  I  know 
not :  I  am  unpardoned  in  England,  and  my  poor  estate  con^ 
sumed,  and  whether  any  prince  will  give  me  bread  or  no, 
I  know  not.  I  desire  your  Honor  to  hold  me  in  your  good 
opinion  ;  to  remember  my  service  to  my  Lord  of  Arundel 
and  Pembrook ;  to  take  some  pity  on  my  poor  wife,  to 
whom  I  dare  not  write  for  renewing  her  sorrow  for  her 
son  ;  and  beseech  you  to  give  a  copy  of  this  to  my  Lord 
Carew :  for  to  a  broken  mind,  a  sick  body,  and  weak  eyes, 
it  is  a  torment  to  write  many  letters.!"  To  Lady  Ralegh, 
he  shortly  afterwards  addressed  a  letter,  the  model  of  such 
compositions  for  simplicity,  tenderness,  and  deep  feeling, 
both  for  him  he  had  lost,  and  for  her,  the  unhappy  maternal 
survivor  of  a  gallant  and  promising  youth.  J 

*  Ralegh's  Apology  in  Cayley,  ii.  105. 

t  Ralegh's  Remains,  234.  J  Ibid.  283. 


232  LIFE  OP  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

It  was  now  determined  in  a  council  of  war,  that  Ralegh 
and  his  fleet  should  return  to  Newfoundland,  to  repair  and 
clean  the  ships.  It  was,  however,  deemed  necessary  by 
Ralegh,  to  send  home  several  disaffected  persons,  described 
in  his  own  pithy  terms  as  "  good  for  nothing,  neither  by 
sea  nor  by  land,"  under  the  charge  of  one  of  the  many 
relatives  who  accompanied  him.  On  arriving  at  New- 
foundland, mutiny  broke  out  among  his  men,  some  of  whom 
inclined  to  remaining  abroad,  whilst  others  were  clamorous 
for  returning  home.  It  was  afterwards  affirmed  in  the 
King's  declaration,  that  Ralegh  offered  his  own  ship,  which 
was  of  great  value,  to  any  of  the  company,  if  they  would 
set  him  in  a  French  bark  ;  and  that  he  repeated  the  same 
proposition  when  arrived  on  the  coast  of  Ireland,  being 
"loth,"  as  he  said,  "to  put  his  head  under  the  King's 
girdle."  He  took,  however,  the  part  most  creditable  to  his 
innocency,  and  most  fatal  to  his  earthly  career,  and  return- 
ed to  the  British  dominions. 

The  intelligence  of  Ralegh's  disasters  were  first  conveyed 
to  James,  by  Captain  John  North,  the  brother  of  Lord 
North,  who  had  accompanied  the  expedition  to  Guiana, 
and  who  was  greatly  esteemed  by  Ralegh  for  his  valor, 
and  fidelity,  in  that  luckless  undertaking.  These  tidings 
were  transmitted  to  the  English  Monarch  on  the  13th  of 
May,  1618.*  They  arrived  at  an  epoch  when  James's  an- 
ticipation of  a  marriage  between  the  Prince  Charles,  and 
.he  second  daughter  of  the  King  of  Spain,  were  at  their 
height ;  when  the  Queen,  Anne  of  Denmark,  the  firm,  and 
to  the  last,  the  unalterable  friend  of  Ralegh,f  was  suspect- 
ed to  be  insane ;  whilst  Gondemar,  whose  private  senti- 
ments on  the  subject  are  fully  exemplified  in  a  letter  from 
him  in  French,  preserved  in  the  Sancroft  Collection,  still 
remained  in  the  English  Court,  to  flatter  James  with  propo- 
sals for  the  arrangement  of  the  marriage  articles,  and  to 
exclaim  against  the  infringement  of  the  treaty  between 
Spain  and  England,  which  he  declared  to  have  been  mani- 
fested by  Ralegh's  plunder  of  St.  Thomas.  It  was,  indeed, 
obvious  to  all  observers  of  the  strange  events  of  the  day, 
that  Ralegh,  who  had  formerly  been  accused  of  a  treasonable 

*  Camden's  Annals. 

t  Letter   from    Heame's  Hemingford.    See  Oxford  edit,  of  Ralegh's 
Works. 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  233 

ao-operation  with  the  emissaries  of  Spain,  was  now  on  the 
eve  of  being  sacrificed  to  her  resentments.  Gondemar,  as 
it  was  remarked  by  a  contemporary,  "  would  never  give 
him  over  until  he  had  his  head  oft'  his  shoulders.*"  The 
chief  apprehensions  entertained  by  the  Spanish  Govern- 
ment, related  to  the  interception  of  their  conquests,  and 
the  injury  of  their  trade  and  property  in  the  West  Indies ; 
and  Gondemar  had  already  given  such  a  coloring  to  the 
exploits  of  Ralegh,  as  the  forcible  and  invidious  repetition 
of  the  word  "pirate,"  in  the  presence  of  James,  could 
convey.f  Meanwhile  the  King  congratulated  himself  on 
the  success  of  his  manoeuvres,  in  not  permitting  to  his  ad- 
venturous subject  the  benefit  of  his  royal  pardon,  by  which 
any  future  proceedings  against  him  would  have  been  in- 
volved in  considerable  difficulty.  For  by  a  private  assu- 
rance to  Ralegh,  previous  to  his  departure  for  Guiana,  lie 
had  pledged  himself  to  keep  his  projects  secret,  if  Ralegh 
would  confide  them  to  him ;  an  intimation  being  conveyed 
to  him  before  his  exit  from  the  Tower  to  that  effect,  of 
which  a  written  document  was  afterwards,  by  some  means, 
transmitted  to  the  Spanish  Ministers.:);  Thus  the  weak  pol- 
icy of  James  was,  in  this  instance,  defeated  ;  and,  whilst 
resolving  to  sacrifice  Ralegh  to  the  vengeance  of  Spain, 
he  was  obliged,  as  it  afterwards  proved,  to  have  recourse 
to  the  sentence  formerly  passed,  concerning  the  communi 
cations  held  by  Ralegh  with  the  agents  of  that  country. 

Previous  to  Ralegh's  arrival  on  the  coast  of  Ireland 
whither  he  first  bent  his  course  on  his  return  to  England 
opinions  in  his  native  country  differed  widely  as  to  thfe 
nature  of  his  alleged  piracies,  and  the  degrees  of  legal 
guilt  to  be  affixed  to  his  adventurous  proceedings.  By  his 
friends,  his  services,  his  sufferings,  and  his  heavy  expenses 
in  his  voyage,  were  earnestly  proclaimed.  Even  tho^e  who 
were  comparatively  indifferent  to  his  safety,  contended 
that  the  plundering  of  St.  Thomas  was  an  act  committed 
beyond  the  equator,  where  the  articles  of  peace  between 
Spain  and  England  do  not  extend  :$  and  the  first  intelli- 
gence of  the  action  was  communicated  to  King  James  with 
great  caution,  and  with  much  pathetic    description,    by 

*  Howell's  Letter  to  Sir  J.  Crofts,  viii.  783.        f  Ibid.  vol.  vjii.  p.  747. 
t  Howell's  Letters,  Ralegh's  Works,  viii.  750.  §H»id. 

112 


234  LIFE  OP  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

Captain  North,  and  all  aggravation  of  the  circumstances 
avoided. 

But  this  forbearance  was  unavailing,  and  the  obstinate 
and  implacable  conduct  of  James,  after  the  first  announce- 
ment of  Ralegh's  disasters,  and  the  subserviency  of  his  min- 
isters and  courtiers,  were  all  fully  explained  in  the  course 
of  the  summer,  when  Gondemar  sailed  in  July  for  Spain, 
bearing  with  him  the  articles  of  the  proposed  marriage  be- 
tween Prince  Charles  and  his  intended  Spanish  bride.* 
Accordingly,  an  immoderate  degree  of  haste  was  mani- 
fested in  the  proceedings  against  the  unfortunate  object  of 
Spanish  vengeance,  a  proclamation  against  him  being  is- 
sued by  the  King  on  the  11th  of  June,  some  weeks  pre- 
vious to  his  landing  in  England.f  By  this  measure,  the 
King's  "  utter  dislike  and  detestation  of  the  violences  and 
excesses,"  said,  by  Gondemar's  report,  to  have  been  com- 
mitted upon  the  territories  of  his  "  dear  brother  of  Spain," 
were  strongly  put  forth  ;  and  all  persons  who  could  supply 
information  upon  the  subject,  were  exhorted  upon  their 
"  duty  and  allegiance"  to  repair  to  the  Privy  Council  to 
make  known  their  "  whole  knowledge  and  understanding 
concerning  the  same.J" 

Meanwhile  conjectures  varied  with  regard  to  the  proba- 
bility of  Sir  Walter's  return — the  world,  wondering,  as  a 
contemporary  expresses  it,  that  "  so  great  a  wise  man  as 
Sir  Walter  Ralegh  would  return  to  cast  himself  on  so  in- 
evitable a  rock  as  it  was  to  be  feared  he  would."  In  despite 
of  this  wonderment,  Ralegh,  after  touching  with  his  dilapi- 
dated ships  and  dispirited  companions  at  Kingsdale  in  Ire- 
land, arrived  in  Plymouth  in  the  beginning  of  July,  and 
resolved  to  surrender  himself  immediately  into  the  hands 
of  those  who  were  commissioned  by  the  King  to  apprehend 
him.  Whether  this  act  were  the  effect  of  a  high  sense  of 
honor,  and  of  justice  to  his  own  character;  whether  it 
arose  from  desperation,  or  proceeded  from  a  fatal  reliance 
upon  the  goodness  of  his  cause,  are  points  upon  which  con- 
siderable doubt  must  always  rest.  His  conduct  on  this 
mournful  occasion,  is,  however,  decisively  in  favor  of  his 
innocence  with  respect  to   the  charges  brought  against 

*  Cayley,  ii.  145. 

f  Cayley,  137,  from  Rymer's  Foedera,  xvii.  p.  92 

X  Ibid.  §  Howell. 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  233 

nim,  of  having  purposed  merely  to  accumulate  wealth  in 
his  expedition  to  Guiana,  without  any  intention  of  return- 
ing to  his  country.  Fortunately  he  was  accompanied,  dur- 
ing his  journey  from  Plymouth  to  London,  the  last  which 
he  ever  made,  by  an  old  companion  in  service,  Captain 
Samuel  King,  who  has  left  a  succinct  account  of  the  in- 
tentions and  measures  pursued  by  his  unfortunate  com- 
mander, from  his  arrival  in  the  harbor  of  Plymouth  to  his 
final  entrance  into  London.* 

By  the  narrative  of  this  veteran  it  appears,  that  Ralegh, 
on  hearing,  before  he  landed,  of  the  royal  proclamation 
against  him,  instantly  determined  upon  the  step  which  ap- 
peared to  him  most  honorable  and  expedient,  and,  that  his 
intentions  might  be  clearly  shown,  sent  his  sails  ashore, 
and  moored  his  ship,  immediately  after  touching  shore 
himself.  Thus,  after  a  year's  absence,  regaining  the  coast 
of  his  native  land,  and  of  his  beloved  Devonshire,  only  to 
renew  the  distresses,  and  to  be  the  object  of  persecutions 
which  seemed,  during  his  later  years,  to  constitute  his 
destiny ;  or,  to  speak  the  language  of  those  who  trust  in 
the  consoling  belief  of  a  superintending  power,  to  fill  up 
the  cup  of  afflictions  which  Providence  had  assigned  to 
him. 

It  was  Ralegh's  fate,  not  only  to  endure  the  malice  of 
the  world,  but  to  receive  its  sharpest  stings  by  the  imme- 
diate agency  of  persons  from  whom  he  might  reasonably 
have  expected  neutrality,  if  not  fidelity  and  attachment. 
On  his  first  attainder,  it  was  Cobham,  his  once  familiar  as- 
sociate, who  pointed  the  venomed  shafts  of  falsehood  against 
him.  On  his  last  imprisonment,  it  was  a  kinsman,  Sir 
Lewis  Stucley,  who  not  only  undertook  for  a  liberal  reward 
to  apprehend  him,  but  inflicted  an  injury  even  more  serious, 
by  calumnious  misrepresentations  of  his  conduct  during  his 
charge  of  the  illustrious  prisoner.  Stucley,  who  was  at 
this  time  vice-admiral  of  Devon,  met  afterwards  with 
some  portion  of  retribution  from  the  avoidance  and  oppro- 
brium of  the  world.  Unhappily,  it  is  not  to  such  minds  as 
his,  that  the  loss  of  honor  conveys  its  severest  stings. 
Coveting  the  accumulation  of  wealth,  he  "had  his  re- 
ward ;"  and  probably  felt  not  the  punishment  which  the 

*  Oldys,  209.  The  narrative  of  King  has  never  been  published,  but  it 
was  seen,  and  carefully  followed,  by  Oldys. 


236  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RAlSGH. 

justice  of  civilized  society  might  be  supposed  to  inflict. 
Meanwhile  the  sanguine  nature  of  Ralegh's  disposition  in- 
clined him  still  to  rely  upon  mercy,  which  never  was  to 
be  extended  to  him,  or  upon  justice,  of  which  there  was 
but  the  name  during  the  prevalence  of  Spanish  gold,  and 
the  influence  of  Spanish  intrigues  at  the  English  court. 
He  heard,  indeed,  reports  concerning  Gondemar's  contin- 
uance in  London  solely  with  the  intention  to  effect  his 
ruin,  yet  he  continued  firm  to  his  first  resolution.  Gonde- 
mar  departed,  however,  from  London,  three  weeks  be- 
fore the  arrival  of  Ralegh  there,  but  not  before  he  had 
placed  affairs  in  such  a  train  as  best  suited  his  instructions : 
it  has  been  also  stated  by  some  authors,  that  in  addition  tc 
the  incentives  occasioned  by  motives  of  national  policy,  he 
had  those  of  private  dislike  and  malignity  towards  Ralegh, 
to  heighten  the  eagerness  with  which  he  pursued  his  suit.* 
Yet,  this  expert  diplomatist  was  unable  wholly  to  succeed, 
even  with  the  "  Caledonian  Solomon,"  whose  heart  he  is 
said  to  have  beguiled  with  his  tales  and  witticisms,  with- 
out employing  the  agency  of  bribes  and  presents,  with 
which  he  effectually  plied  the  English  courtiers  before  he 
bade  farewell  to  their  country,  f 

It  was  in  vain,  therefore,  that  Ralegh  addressed  to  the 
misguided  and  prejudiced  monarch  upon  whose  mercy  he 
had  cast  himself,  a  letter,  replete  with  sound  argument  in 
favor  of  his  innocence  and  loyalty. J  This  address,  after 
enumerating  the  aggravations  received  from  the  Spaniards 
by  the  English,  and  the  precedents  of  retaliation  on  the 
part  of  our  countrymen,  concludes  with  this  eloquent  ap- 
peal to  the  compassion  and  justice  of  the  King : — "  If  1 
have  spent  my  poor  estate,  lost  my  son,  suffered  by  sick- 
ness, and  otherwise,  a  world  of  hardships;  if  I  have  resisted, 
with  manifest  hazard  of  my  life,  the  robberies  and  spoils 
with  which  my  companions  would  have  made  me  rich ;  if, 
when  I  was  poor,  I  could  have  made  myself  rich ;  if,  when 
I  had  gotten  my  liberty,  which  all  men  and  nature  itself 
do  most  prize,  I  voluntarily  lost  it ;  if,  when  I  was  sure  of 
my  life,  I  rendered  it  again ;  if  I  might  elsewhere  have 
sold  my  ship  and  goods,  and  put  five  or  six  thousand 
pounds  in  my  purse,  and  yet  brought  her  into  England ;  I 
beseech  your  Majesty  to  believe  that  all  this  I  have  done, 

»  Oldyg,  210.  t  Ibid.,  note.  J  Ralegh's  Remains,  duod. 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  237 

Decause  it  should  not  be  said  that  your  Majesty  had  given 
liberty  and  trust  to  a  man  whose  end  was  but  the  recovery 
of  his  liberty,  and  who  had  betrayed  your  Majesty's  trust." 
This  simple  exposition  of  Ralegh's  motives,  was  followed 
by  an  act  equally  honorable  to  him, — the  commencement 
of  his  journey  to  the  metropolis.  Before,  however,  he 
could  reach  Ashburton,  a  town  twenty  miles  from  Ply- 
mouth, he  was  arrested  by  Sir  Lewis  Stucley,  who,  in  the 
eagerness  of  an  obsequious  and  interested  courtier,  com- 
menced operations  previous  to  the  receiving  his  commis- 
sion from  the  King.  The  address  of  this  man  to  Ralegh, 
contained  the  intimation  that  he  had  orders  for  arresting 
him  and  his  ship ;  "  a  falsehood,  which  was  received  with 
calmness,  and  answered,  by  Ralegh's  informing  him  that  he 
had  saved  him  that  trouble,  and  done  it  to  his  hand.*" 
They  returned  together  to  Plymouth,  and  lodged  at  the 
house  of  Sir  Christopher  Harris,  where  Ralegh  was  so  ill 
guarded  by  Stucley,  that  he  sometimes  failed  to  see  him 
for  two  or  three  days.  In  this  interval,  the  operations  of 
fear,  and  the  temptations  induced  by  that  love  of  life  and 
liberty  incident  to  human  nature,  excited  in  the  unfortu- 
nate Ralegh  a  strong  desire  to  make  one  desperate  effort 
for  the  recovery  of  freedom.  With  this  view,  he  prevailed 
upon  his  friend,  Captain  King,  to  procure  him  a  bark  to 
convey  him  to  France,  and  paid,  as  it  was  stated,  twelve 
crowns  for  the  passage,  pretending  that  it  was  a  gentleman 
known  to  him,  who  desired  to  pass  into  that  country.f 
The  vessel  was  detained  four  days  at  anchor  beyond  the 
limits  to  which  the  authority  of  the  Plymouth  garrison  ex- 
tended, but  Ralegh  never  ascended  her  deck  :  for  although 
one  night  he  had  certainly  resolved  to  avail  himself  of  this 
resource,  procured  a  small  boat  to  convey  him  and  his 
faithful  companion,  King,  to  the  ship,  and  had  actually 
proceeded  some  distance  towards  the  object  of  his  destina- 
tion, he  altered  his  resolution,  and  returned;  deeming  it, 
perhaps,  better  to  risk  the  event  of  renewed  persecutions, 
than  to  incur  dishonor,  and  reproach,  by  flight.  Yet,  even 
the  severest  judges  could  scarcely  have  censured  one  whc 
had  suffered  so  mercilessly,  for  insuring  his  own  safety 

*  Oldys,  12.  from  King. 

■f  Oldys  apud  King.    Declaration  of  King  James  Cayloy,  ii.  434.    Ap 
pendix. 


238  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

and  avoiding  a  fresh  encounter  of  shameless  injustice  and 
oppression.  Ralegh  returned  to  a  tyrannical  master,  and 
to  an  unthankful  country ;  and  he  would  have  been  amply 
justified  in  escaping  from  the  snares  prepared  for  his  de- 
struction. But,  whether  induced  by  heroism  which  we 
must  admire  yet  regret ;  or  actuated  by  fears  of  the  conse- 
quences which  might  accrue  to  his  family ;  or  influenced 
by  a  fatal  reliance  upon  the  faith  of  James,  who  had  not 
only  virtually  but  literally  authorized  his  expedition;  he 
did  return,  and  unsuspected  of  any  design  of  escape,  after 
engaging  the  vessel  for  one  night  more,  relinquished  all 
thought  of  emigration. 

Such  is  the  account  given  of  his  movements  by  Captain 
King,  who  has  established  his  own  veracity  by  the  bold 
avowal  of  the  share  which  he  took  in  promoting  Ralegh's  has- 
tily abandoned  schemes.  It  was,  however,  asserted  in  the 
royal  apology  for  Ralegh's  wrongs,*  that  the  darkness  of  the 
night  frustrated  their  plans  ;  a  statement  which  is  refuted 
by  King's  allegation,  that  if  Sir  Walter  had  been  willing 
to  have  rowed  a  quarter  of  a  mile  further,  they  might  have 
met  the  bark.  Besides,  as  he  remarks,  if  that  night  would 
not  have  served,  one  of  the  other  three  would  have  been 
available  for  the  proposed  flight,  the  wind  being  fair,  and 
the  tide  falling  out  conveniently. 

Stucley  having  at  length  received  his  commission,  pre- 
pared to  set  out  with  his  prisoner,  whom  he  was  instructed 
not  to  hasten  more  than  his  health  would  permit.  One 
Mannourie,  a  Frenchman,  •  was  added  to  their  travelling 
suite,  an  acquisition  apparently  intended  for  the  accommo- 
dation of  Ralegh,  but  eventually  contributing  to  his  de- 
struction. 

Ralegh  was  now  joined  by  his  wife,  and  was  received  on 
his  journey  at  the  houses  of  several  of  his  friends  and  ac- 
quaintance, from  whom  he  speedily  learned  the  machina- 
tions of  his  enemies  at  court.  He  now,  too  late,  regretted 
that  he  had  allowed  the  season  for  retreat  to  pass  away, 
lamenting  it  to  Lady  Ralegh,  and  to  King,  who  told  him, 
"  that  he  could  blame  no  one  but  himself,"  for  his  resolution 
to  continue  in  England.f  But  upon  the  arrival  of  a  mes- 
senger to  expedite  his  journey  to  the  metropolis,  his  mind 
became  agitated,  and  eager  for  a  fresh  project  of  escape 

*  See  the  King's  Declaration,  in  Cayley,  ii.  434.  t  Oldys,  213. 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  239 

until  the  influence  of  Spain  and  the  fury  of  his  enemies 
should  have  subsided,  after  the  fashion  of  political  rancor 
and  of  political  factions.  Yet  he  still,  as  his  veteran  com- 
panion asserted,  declared,  that  "no  misery  should  make 
him  disloyal  to  his  king-  and  his  country."  And  never,  even 
in  the  extremity  of  desperation,  was  he  heard  to  name  His 
Majesty  but  with  a  degree  of  respect  which  James  can 
hardly  be  thought  to  have  merited. 

In  pursuance  of  the  project  which  he  now  seriously 
meditated,  Ralegh,  on  arriving  at  Salisbury,  where  the 
King  had  recently  been  on  his  progress,  dispatched  Captain 
King  to  London  to  provide  a  boat  at  Tilbury,  desiring  him 
to  employ,  on  this  occasion,  a  man  named  Cotterell,  who 
had  been  in  Ralegh's  service.  When  King  arrived  in  Lon- 
don, he  was,  however,  prevailed  upon  by  Cotterell  to  in- 
trust a  boatswain  of  his,  named  Hart,  with  the  office  of 
furnishing  a  wherry.  King  unguardedly  complied  with  this 
advice,  proffered  the  perfidious  boatswain  thirty  pieces  of 
silver  for  his  assistance  and  secrecy,  and  paid  him,  for  some 
time,  to  keep  the  boat  in  readiness  at  Tilbury.  By  Hart  the 
whole  scheme  was  however  disclosed  and  eventually  frus- 
trated. On  the  7th  of  August,  Ralegh  arrived  in  London, 
whence  he  was  anxious  to  proceed  to  Tilbury  on  the  same 
night,  but  was  told  by  King  that  the  arrangements  for  his 
departure  were  not  completed.  And  now  the  intelligence 
of  his  schemes  having  transpired,  Stucley  was  empowered 
by  his  employers  to  tamper  with  Ralegh  by  feigning  ac- 
quiescence in  those  plans,  without,  himself,  incurring  sus- 
picion or  reproof.  The  object  of  thus  ensnaring  him  whose 
ruin  was  already  determined,  was  to  justify  his  seizure  to 
the  public ;  to  become  effectually  possessed  of  any  private 
documents  which  he  might  carry  about  him,  and  to  certify 
to  the  world  his  intention  to  escape.*  Meanwhile  Ralegh 
had  received  offers  from  the  agent  of  the  French  king  to 
furnish  him  with  a  bark,  and  other  means  of  assistance  in 
his  escape,  a  proposal  which  he  declined  upon  the  plea  of 
the  French  vessel  not  being  in  readiness.  Thus  he  again 
missed  an  opportunity  of  flight,  from  which  it  is  more  than 
probable  the  machinations  of  his  enemies  could  not  have 
detained  him. 

On  Sunday  the  9th  of  August,  Sir  Walter  repaired  to  a 

*  Oldys,  118. 


240  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

certain  place  of  rendezvous  on  the  Thames,  appointed  by 
Captain  King,  who  awaited  him  there  with  two  wherries. 
He  was  accompanied  by  Sir  Lewis  Stucley,  and  by  his  son, 
young  Stucley,  whom  Ralegh  was  credulous  enough  to  be- 
lieve interested  in  the  success  of  his  scheme.  His  sole  at- 
tendant was  a  page.  The  unfortunate  and  persecuted  pris- 
oner was  disguised  with  a  false  beard,  wearing  a  hat  with 
a  green  hatband.  He  had  provided  merely  a  cloak-bag  and 
four  pistols,  which  were  put  into  the  boat.  The  traitor 
Stucley  then  asked  the  anxious  friend  of  RaJegh,  Captain 
King,  this  suspicious  question,  whether  "he  had  not  dis- 
tinguished himself  an  honest  man  1"  To  this  inquiry  King 
returned  the  cautious  answer,  "  that  he  hoped  he  would 
continue  so." 

After  the  party  had  entered  the  boats  and  had  rowed 
some  paces,  they  were  informed  by  the  watermen  that  Mr. 
Herbert,  to  whom  Hart  had  revealed  the  plot,  was  also  on 
the  river  and  in  pursuit  of  them.  This  intelligence  excited 
Ralegh's  fears;  but  he  was  reassured  by  Stucley,  who 
threatened  to  kill  the  watermen  if  they  did  not  proceed, 
and  feigned  concern  at  having  ventured  his  fortunes  and 
safety  with  a  man  so  full  of  doubts  and  apprehensions  as 
Ralegh.  As  they  approached  Greenwich,  the  sudden 
glimpse  of  a  boat  again  inspired  Ralegh  with  suspicions  of 
treachery  and  pursuit,  but  King  persuaded  him  to  proceed, 
with  assurances  of  reaching  Tilbury  in  safety.  But  in  these 
delays  the  serving  of  the  tide  was  disregarded,  until  the 
watermen  declared  it  to  be  impossible  to  arrive  at  Graves- 
end  till  morning.  Upon  hearing  of  this  disaster  Ralegh 
was  almost  resolved  to  land  at  Purfleet,  an  idea  which  was 
encouraged  both  by  Hart  and  by  Stucley ,  the  former  prom- 
sing  to  procure  him  horses  to  Tilbury,  and  the  latter  offer- 
ing to  carry  the  cloak-bag  for  the  distance  of  half-a-mile 
after  landing:  but  the  faithful  and  cautious  Captain  King 
negatived  the  proposal,  assuring  Ralegh  that  if  they  could 
not  reach  Gravesend  by  water,  it  were  impossible  to  com- 
pass that  distance  by  land,  in  the  dead  of  night  and  without 
the  certainty  of  procuring  horses. " 

During  these  debates  they  passed  Woolwich ;  and  now 
Ralegh  became  fully  sensible  of  the  dangers  by  which  he 
was  assailed,  although  he  was  still  ignorant  of  the  treachery 
by  which  these  perils  were  contrived,  and  directed  to  his 
ruin.     After  encountering  several  small  boats,  it  became 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  241 

evident  to  him  that  they  contained  the  emissaries  of  Her- 
bert, whom  he  had  been  instructed  to  consider  as  commis- 
sioned by  James  to  apprehend  him.  He  still,  however,  con- 
tided  in  Stucley,  who  kept  up  the  appearance  of  friendly 
interest  in  his  escape,  promising  to  return  with  him  to  his 
own  house,  and  embracing-  his  deluded  prisoner  with  an  af- 
fectation of  regard  which  put  the  finishing  touches  to  the 
character  of  this  accomplished  villain.  The  betrayed  and 
the  betrayer  retraced  their  watery  way  to  Greenwich, 
where,  Stucley  pretending  that  he  dared  not  carry  Ralegh 
farther,  they  landed.  Here  they  encountered  the  boats 
which  had  before  alarmed  Ralegh,  which  now  proved  to  be 
full  of  men  in  the  service  of  Mr.  William  Herbert,  and  of 
Sir  William  St.  John,  who  had  formerly  procured  Ralegh's 
liberation  on  the  payment  of  a  sum  of  money.  As  Cap- 
tain King,  with  his  unfortunate  master,  passed  over 
Greenwich  Bridge,  Stucley  made  an  attempt  upon  the 
fidelity  of  King,  advising  him  to  appear  to  the  world  to 
concur  in  the  plot  for  delivering  Ralegh  into  the  hands  of 
his  enemies.  But  this  proposal  was  rejected  with  indigna- 
tion by  the  gallant  officer,  who  was  immediately  arrested 
by  Stucley,  and  committed  to  the  charge  of  two  of  Her- 
bert's men.  The  party  entered  a  tavern,  in  which  King 
heard  Ralegh  utter  this  calm  but  expressive  reproach  to 
the  contemptible  Stucley.  '£  Sir  Lewis,  these  actions  will 
not  turn  out  to  your  credit."  On  the  ensuing  day  Ralegh 
was  conducted  to  the  Tower ;  and  on  entering  this  weh- 
known  edifice,  he  observed  to  King  that  he  "  was  himself 
the  mark  shot  at,"  but  that  King  need  not  apprehend  the 
consequences  of  this  affair.  The  dejected  and  disappointed 
officer  was  then  obliged  to  take  a  last  farewell  of  the  mas- 
ter for  whom  he  had  risked  so  much  ;  leaving  him,  as  he 
touchingly  expressed  it,  in  the  guardianship  of  that  Provi- 
dence "  with  whom,"  said  he,  "  I  do  not  doubt  but  his  soul 
resteth." 

Such  was  the  tissue  of  treachery,  coarsely  contrived,  and 
carelessly  executed,  by  which  the  final  destruction  of  Ra- 
legh was  effected.  That  he  could  rush  into  a  snare  prepar- 
ed with  so  little  address,  would  excite  surprise,  were  it  not 
remembered  how  often  desperation  unnerves  the  strongest, 
and  blinds  the  most  acute  minds.  A  species  of  fatality,  as 
the  superstitious  may  consider  it,  seems,  indeed,  to  have  in- 
volved the  last  years  of  Ralegh's  existence.  His  resolu- 
V 


242  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

tion  appears  to  have  wavered,  and  his  credulity  to  have 
preponderated  over  the  caution  which  his  situation  pecu- 
liarly required.  When  it  would  be  probable  and  natural 
that  he  should,  from  mournful  experience,  distrust  all  men, 
he  accorded  his  confidence  to  those  whose  deeds  were 
equivocal,  and  whose  worldly  interests  might  be  promoted 
by  his  ruin.  The  vivid  perceptions  of  that  mind  which 
could  investigate  the  concerns  of  past  ages,  and  dive  into 
those  of  the  future  with  almost  prophetic  scan,  were  ob- 
scured when  his  own  immediate  and  important  affairs  were 
pressed  upon  him  by  emergencies,  which,  whilst  they  al- 
most broke  a  heart  worn  out  with  contending  emotions, 
weakened  the  faculties  of  an  understanding,  such  as  few 
men  could  boast  of  possessing. 

But  the  tragedy  of  Ralegh's  life  was  now  nearly  draw- 
ing to  a  conclusion,  and  the  repose  of  the  grave,  purchased 
by  the  agonies  of  an  ignominious  death,  was  soon  to  be  his 
portion.  On  the  10th  of  August,  he  had  again  been  con- 
signed as  a  prisoner  to  that  gloomy  residence  with  which 
he  was  already  but  too  well  acquainted.  It  is  probable 
that  he  was  here  joined  by  Lady  Ralegh,  although  that  fact 
has  not  been  specifically  mentioned  ;  yet  she  who  had  fol- 
lowed him  in  his  good  and  ill  fortunes  was  little  likely  to 
desert  him  in  the  last  extremity. 

A  committee  was,  in  a  few  days,  appointed  to  examine 
into  the  details  and  motives  of  Ralegh's  intended  flight, 
which  was  decried  as  an  heinous  offence,  and  as  a  distrust 
of  the  King's  mercy  never  to  be  forgiven  by  the  royal  per- 
sonage, whose  mercies,  as  they  were  called,  had  been  for- 
merly so  graciously  extended.*  Yet  considerable  interest 
was  still  exerted  for  one  whose  sufferings  and  whose  ser- 
vices were,  in  the  minds  of  the  impartial,  the  sources  of 
commiseration  and  subjects  of  praise.  The  Queen,  with  a 
generous  earnestness  which  redeems  the  frivolity  of  her 
character,  wrote  to  the  Villiers,  now  Marquis  of  Bucking- 
ham, whom  she  addressed  as  her  "  kinde  dogge,"  entreat- 
ing him,  as  she  had  any  favor  or  credit  with  him,  "  to  let 
her  have  a  trial  of  it  at  this  time,  in  dealing  earnestly  and 
sincerely  with  the  King,  that  Sir  Walter  Ralegh's  life 
might  not  be  called  in  question.!" 

Lord  Carew,  the  relative  and  constant  friend  of  Ralegh, 

*  Oldya,  221.  t  Cayley,  ii.  137. 


LIFE  OF  SLR  WALTER  RALEGH.  243 

nad  already,  on  his  knees,  interceded  with  the  King  in  his 
behalf,  but  was  answered  by  the  remark  from  his  Majesty, 
"  that  it  were  as  well  to  hang  him  as  deliver  him  to  the 
King  of  Spam,  who  assuredly  would ;"  and  "  one  of  these 
two  things  he  must  do,  if  the  case  were  as  the  Spanish 
ambassador  had  represented  it."  And  when  Lord  Carew 
still  entreated  for  mercy,  he  was  dismissed  with  the  obser- 
vation, that  "  the  most  he  could  expect  was  that  the  King 
would  give  him  a  hearing.*"  But,  whilst  Ralegh's  frienda 
earnestly  desired  a  legal  investigation  into  his  case,  and 
confidently  expected  that  he  would  make  his  cause  good, 
they  anticipated  not  the  perversion  of  law,  and  the  depar- 
ture from  every  principle  of  equity  by  which  that  promised 
inquiry  was  to  be  characterized,  and  the  fate  of  the  object 
of  their  solicitude  determined. 

Ralegh  now  resolved  to  take  his  cause  into  his  own 
hands ;  but  though  few  pens  could  plead  so  effectually  as 
his,  his  representations  appear  not  to  have  received  the 
slightest  encouragement  in  this  instance.  To  the  Marquis 
of  Buckingham,  he,  with  a  delicacy  suitable  to  a  mind  so 
accomplished  as  his,  apologized  for  presuming  to  address 
"  so  great  and  worthy  a  person,  who  had  been  told  that  he 
had  done  him  some  wrong.  I  heard  of  it,"  he  continues, 
"  but  of  late  ;  but  most  happy  had  I  been  if  I  might  have 
disproved  that  villany  against  me,  when  there  had  been 
no  suspicion  that  the  desire  to  save  my  life  had  presented 
my  excuse.f" 

It  is  observable  that  in  Ralegh's  letters,  in  many  of 
which  he  had,  unhappily,  to  plead  for  life,  or  to  sue  for 
justice,  there  prevails  a  becoming  tone  of  humility  and 
supplication,  free  from  abject  flattery  or  from  undignified 
lamentation.  In  the  document  now  referred  to,  containing 
his  last  appeal  to  the  intercession  of  Buckingham,  he  justi- 
fies himself  with  a  clearness  and  manliness,  distinct  from 
the  petulance  of  a  rash  and  arrogant  adventurer,  and  de- 
void of  presumption.  In  all  his  written  communications, 
whether  addressed  to  the  great,  to  his  intimate  associates, 
or  to  the  beloved  members  of  his  family,  there  pervades 
the  true  spirit  of  an  accomplished  English  gentleman.  The 
mind  fondly  dwells  upon  certain  attributes  of  his  character, 
ind,  with  the  more  tenacity  and  regret,  as  we  approach 

*  Cayley,  ii.  137.  t  Ibid.  143,  from  Harleian  Coll. 


244  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

the  close  of  so  much  excellence,  the  destruction  of  such 
attainments,  greater,  and  more  brilliant  in  the  mournful 
sun-set  of  Ralegh's  existence,  than  in  his  meridian  of 
glory. 

In  his  explicit  justification  of  his  projected  escape,  Sir 
Walter  avows  to  Villiers,  that  "  it  was  the  last  severe  let- 
ter from  the  lords  for  the  bringing  of  him  up,  and  the  im- 
patience of  dishonor,  that  put  him  first  in  fear  of  his  life,  or 
enjoying  it  in  perpetual  imprisonment,  never  to  recover  his 
reputation  lost,  which  strengthened  me,"  he  proceeds  to 
say,  "  in  my  late,  and  too  late  lamented  resolution,  if  his 
Majesty's  mercy  do  not  abound ;  if  his  Majesty  do  not  pity 
my  age,  and  scorn  to  take  the  extreme  and  utmost  advan- 
tage of  my  errors ;  if  his  Majesty,  in  his  great  charity,  do 
not  make  a  difference  between  offences  proceeding  from  a 
life-saving  natural  impulsion,  without  an  ill  intent,  and 
those  of  an  ill  heart." 

No  reply  to  this  letter  has  been  transmitted  to  us ;  and 
it  is  but  too  probable  that  the  exertions  of  the  young  and 
prosperous  courtier  to  whom  it  was  addressed,  were  not 
extended  to  sustain  a  cause  so  weak,  and  almost  hopeless, 
as  that  of  Ralegh.  Meanwhile,  the  commissioners  who 
were  appointed  to  examine  him,  were  unable  even  in  the 
most  minute  exercise  of  their  office,  and  in  their  daily 
visits  to  the  Tower,  to  extract  from  the  depositions  of  his 
late  companions  in  his  voyage,  any  evidence  of  treasonable 
designs,  or  of  piratical  practices.*  At  the  end  of  the 
King's  "  Declaration  of  the  Demeanor  and  Carriage  of  Sir 
Walter  Ralegh,"  &c.  the  names  of  these  commissioners 
are  supposed  to  have  been  annexedf ;  and  if  that  conjecture 
be  correct,  their  testimony  to  the  truth  of  the  charges  con- 
tained in  that  publication  is  implied.  The  allegations 
which  James,  in  the  fullness  of  royal  dignity,  deemed  it  ex- 
pedient to  publish,  by  way  of  apology,  after  the  death  ef 
his  victim,  were  neither  adduced  during  the  life  of  Ralegh, 
nor  supported  by  any  credible  witness  after  the  termina- 
tion of  his  career.  The  tenor  of  the  Declaration  is,  in 
fact,  so  much  inflated  by  exaggeration,  and  its  details  have 
so  greatly  the  air  of  invention,  that  little  importance  would 
have  been  annexed  to  it  as  historical  evidence,  had  it  not 
been  for  the  strange,  and,  apparently,  careless  credence 

*  Oldys,  222.  f  Ibid. 


LIFE  OP  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  245 

afforded  to  it  by  one  of  the  most  eminent  and  elegant  of 
historians*  The  deductions  which  he  derives  from  it  are 
amply  refuted,  as  far  as  they  relate  to  the  expedition  itself, 
by  a  simple  reference  to  Ralegh's  Apology  for  his  last  Voy- 
age to  Guiana,f  a  narrative  which  might  have  been  con- 
tradicted by  the  united  testimony  of  his  whole  crew  and 
officers,  had  they  been  disposed  or  able  to  disprove  the 
truth  of  his  statements.  The  alleged  details  of  Sir  Wal- 
ter's conduct  after  his  return  to  England,  deserve  even  less 
consideration  by  the  inquirers  into  historical  truth,  than 
his  motives  and  actions  during  the  period  of  his  absence 
from  this  country.  These  particulars  rest  chiefly  upon 
the  testimony  of  Mannourie,  the  French  empiric,  whom 
the  insidious  Stucley  engaged  to  accompany  him  at  Ply- 
mouth, under  pretext  of  his  attending  to  Ralegh's  health, 
and  affording  him  the  alleviation  of  his  advice.  It  is  suf- 
ficient here  to  state  the  heads  of  those  calumnies  which 
Mannourie,  doubtless  by  the  influence  of  some  lucrative 
advantage,  was  instigated  to  produce  against  his  patient. 
How  far  they  were  rebutted  or  acknowledged  by  Ralegh, 
will  appear  upon  his  trial. 

In  Mannourie's  depositions  it  is  stated,  that  Sir  Walter 
had  persuaded  the  quack  to  administer  to  him  medicines  in 
order  to  bring  on  the  appearances  of  violent  and  dangerous 
disease.  This  feint  was  attributed  to  the  desire  which  he 
naturally  felt  to  gain  time,  and  to  be  permitted  to  remain 
at  his  own  residence  in  London,  whence  he  might  easily 
effect  his  escape.  The  account  of  this  alleged  stratagem  is 
given  with  much  circumlocution,  and  with  many  frivolous 
and  even  disgusting  details.  It  is  almost  incredible  that  Sir 
WaLer  should  have  laid  himself  open  to  a  man  of  whom  he 
knew  but  little,  in  the  manner  which  Mannourie  describes. 
It  is  likewise  incredible  that  he  should  have  had  recourse 
to  the  desperate  and  absurd  contrivances  which  Mannourie 
describes  him  to  have  adopted.  They  were,  however,  ad- 
duced not  only  as  proofs  of  conscious  guilt,  but  as  deeds  of 
guilt  in  themselves,  as  "  impostures"  "  declining  his  Majes- 
ty's goodness,"  and  thus  rendering  himself  unworthy  of  his 
Majesty's  farther  mercy.  Tne  question  may,  however,  be 
asked — why,  if  sufficient  evidence  could  have  been  adduced 
against  Ralegh  of  fresh  schemes  against  government,  his 

*  Hume.  t  Caylcy,  ii.  83. 

V2 


246  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

former  sentence  was,  as  we  shall  find,  revived,  in  order  to 
give  a  color  of  justice  to  his  condemnation'?  It  was,  how- 
ever, pretended,  "  that  his  former  attainders  for  treason  be- 
ing the  highest  and  last  work  of  the  law,"  his  "  Majesty- 
was  enforced,  (except  attainders  should  become  privileges 
for  all  subsequent  offences,)  to  resolve  to  have  him  executed 
upon  his  former  attainder.*" 

The  council,  after  deliberating  for  some  time,  were  una- 
ble to  recommend  a  fresh  trial,  either  on  the  grounds  of 
Ralegh's  attack  upon  Guiana,  or  on  the  feebler  allegations 
against  him.  The  first  mode  of  impeachment  would  ha\  e 
acknowledged  a  cession  of  the  English  interest  in  the 
province  of  Guiana  to  Spain ;  the  latter  was  totally  unsup- 
ported except  by  the  evidence  of  Mannourie  and  Stucley, 
both  now  the  objects  of  popular  suspicion,  and,  eventually, 
of  universal  odium  and  contempt. 

On  the  23d  of  October,  a  discussion  took  place  in  the 
Privy  Council  with  regard  to  the  mode  in  which  prisoners 
condemned  for  treason,  and  set  at  liberty,  could  be  legally 
executed.  In  this  conference,  at  which  all  the  judges  were 
present,  it  was  determined  to  send  a  Privy  Seal  to  the 
Judges  of  the  King's  Bench,  commanding  "them  to  pro- 
ceed against  Ralegh  according  to  law.f"  On  the  ensuing 
day  he  received  notice  from  the  commissioners  to  prepare 
for  death.  He  was,  at  this  time,  ill  of  an  aguish  com- 
plaint, which  he  had,  probably,  incurred  in  Guiana,  in  which 
such  diseases  are  prevalent.  From  the  hot  stage  of  this 
disease  the  unhappy  man  was  aroused,  on  the  28th  of 
October,  at  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  conveyed 
to  the  Court  of  King's  Bench  in  Westminster,  being  taken 
thither  by  writ  of  habeas  corpus.  An  account  of  the  pro- 
ceedings against  him  has  been  preserved  in  the  Harleian 
Collections,  and  other  authentic  sources,  and  transmitted 
through  the  medium  of  the  State  Trials. 

In  the  last  process  against  him  a  writ  was  first  read, 
purporting,  "  that  whereas  Sir  Walter  being  long  before 
in  the  presence  of  divers  noble  personages,  legally  convict- 
ed of  high  treason  at  Winchester,  was  then  and  there  ad- 
judged to  be  hanged,  drawn,  and  quartered."  After  going 
through  this  form,  the  attorney-general  rose  to  make  the 
expected  harangue  upon  the  case.     The  person  on  whom 

*  King's  Declaration,  in  Cayley,  ii.  44b. 
|  Oldys,  from  Mutton's  Reports. 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  247 

this  office  fell  was  Henry  Yelverton,  a  man  of  reputed 
honor,  who  had  been  raised  to  his  present  eminence  by 
Car,  Earl  of  Rochester,  but  was  destined  to  experience 
himself  the  vicissitudes  of  fortune,  through  the  agency  of 
Buckingham,  whose  corruptions  Yelverton  afterwards  at- 
tempted to  oppose.*  It  is  melancholy  to  reflect,  that  a  man 
of  probity  and  of  extensive  legal  acquirements  should  have 
been  induced  or  constrained,  by  his  prosecution  of  Ralegh, 
if  not  to  violate  the  laws  of  his  country,  at  least  to  infringe 
upon  the  spirit  of  equity  in  which  those  laws  are  in  most 
instances  dictated.  But,  Yelverton,  redeeming  his  charac- 
ter by  his  subsequent  conduct,  by  his  resistance  to  certain 
patents  which  Buckingham  desired  to  grant,  was,  like  the 
oppressed  individual  in  whose  ruin  he  now  concurred, 
doomed  to  experience  the  terrors  and  anxieties  of  impris- 
onment, being  afterwards  committed  to  the  Tower,  and 
deprived  of  his  office  for  a  time,  although  eventually  re- 
stored to  more  than  his  former  honor.  His  speech  was 
concise,  and  consisted  in  a  mere  formal  exposition  of  the 
case,  tending  rather  to  compliment,  than  to  confound,  and 
vilify  the  unhappy  prisoner.  Invective  was  now  unneces- 
sary, and  even  Coke's  vituperations  would,  perhaps,  have 
been  silenced  by  the  defenceless  nature  of  Ralegh's  situa- 
tion, by  his  infirmities,  and  broken  spirits,  and  by  the  con- 
templation of  one  so  gifted  and  one  so  favored,  humbled 
beneath  the  very  feet  of  those  above  whom  he  rose  proudly 
superior  in  intellectual  eminence.  Even  Yelverton  could 
not,  in  his  address,  forbear  describing  him  as  a  man,  "  who, 
in  regard  of  his  parts  and  quality,  was  to  be  pitied."  "  Sir 
Walter  Ralegh,"  he  continued,  "  in  his  time,  was  a  star ; 
yea,  and  of  such  nature,  that  shineth  fair ;  but  out  of  the 
necessity  of  state,  like  stars  when  they  trouble  the  sphere, 
must  indeed  fall.f" 

Sir  Walter  was  then  asked  what  he  should  say  for  him- 
self, why  execution  should  not  be  awarded  against  him  1 
He  first  replied,  by  apologizing  for  the  weakness  of  his 
voice  by  reason  of  his  late  sickness,  and  an  ague,  in  the 
access  of  which  he  had  been  brought  before  their  tribu- 
nal.   He  also  requested  the  accommodation  of  pen  and  ink. 

Being  told  by  Sir  Henry  Montague,  the  Lord  Chief 
Justice,  that  "  his  voice  was  audible  enough,"  he  then  prc- 

*  Wilson,  734.  f  Note  in  Oldys,  224. 


248  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

ceeded.  His  expostulations  with  the  court  were  put  forth 
with  that  moderation  and  judgment  which  he  well  knew 
how  to  oall  to  his  aid  upon  important  occasions.  He  told 
his  judges,  that  with  respect  to  his  former  sentence,  he  had 
conceived  himself  to  be  discharged  of  it,  when  it  had  been 
His  Majesty's  pleasure  to  grant  him  a  commission  to  pro- 
ceed on  a  voyage  beyond  the  seas,  wherein  he  had  power, 
as  marshal,  over  the  life  and  death  of  others.  As  be  pro- 
ceeded to  descant  upon  the  circumstances  of  his  voyage  to 
Guiana,  he  was  checked  by  the  Lord  Chief  Justice,  who 
informed  him  that  his  commission  could  not  in  any  way 
help  him,  and  did  not  imply  a  pardon ;  and  that  "  there 
was  no  word,  tending  to  pardon  in  all  his  commission ;" 
"  therefore,"  continued  he,  "  you  must  say  something  else 
to  the  purpose,  otherwise  we  must  proceed  to  give  execu- 
tion.*" 

Upon  perceiving  the  hopelessness  of  his  case,  Ralegh 
forbore  further  argument,  and,  throwing  himself  on  the 
mercy  of  the  King,  said,  that  with  respect  to  his  former 
judgment,  some  "present  could  witness,  nay,  his  Majesty 
was  of  opinion,  that  he  had  hard  measure  therein." 

This  appeal,  though  of  course  unavailing,  was  answered 
in  a  tone  of  moderation,  and  with  a  degree  of  humane  con- 
sideration, which  proved  how  greatly  public  opinion  had 
been  altered  in  his  favor  since  his  trial.  It  was,  however, 
thought  necessary  to  assure  him  that  he  had  an  "honorable 
trial,"  and  was  justly  convicted  :  he  was  recommended  to 
submit  himself,  and  to  confess  that  his  offence  had  justly 
drawn  his  former  judgment  upon  him.  He  was  told,  that 
for  the  last  fifteen  years  he  had  been  as  a  dead  man  in  the 
law,  and  might  in  any  moment  have  been  cut  off;  that  new 
offences  had  now  "  stirred  up  his  Majesty's  justice"  to  re- 
vive what  the  law  had  formerly  cast  upon  him.  "  I  know," 
continued  Montague,  "  you  have  been  valiant  and  wise ; 
and  I  doubt  not  but  you  retain  both  these  virtues,  for  now 
you  shall  have  occasion  to  use  them.  Your  faith  hath  here- 
tofore been  questioned,  but  I  am  resolved  you  are  a  good 
Christian,  for  your  book,  which  is  an  admirable  work,  doth 
testify  as  much.  I  would  give  you  counsel,  but  I  know 
you  can  apply  unto  yourself  far  better  than  I  am  able  to 
give  you  ;  yet  will  I,  with  the  good  neighbor  in  the  Gospel, 

*  Cayley,  ii.  153. 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  249 

(who  finding  one  wounded  and  distressed,  poured  oil  into 
his  wounds  and  refreshed  him,)  give  unto  you  the  oil  of 
comfort,  in  respect  that  I  am  a  minister  of  the  law,  mixed 
with  vinegar.  Sorrow  will  not  avail  you  in  some  kind ; 
for  were  you  pained,  sorrow  would  not  ease  you ;  were  you 
afflicted,  sorrow  would  not  relieve  you ;  were  you  torment- 
ed, sorrow  would  not  content  you  ;  and  yet  the  sorrow  for 
your  sins  would  be  an  everlasting  comfort  to  you."  With 
these,  and  similar  exhortations,  too  easily  offered  to  others, 
too  hardly  applied  to  oneself,  perhaps  well  meant,  yet  tam- 
pering, as  it  were,  with  the  grief  they  were  intended  to 
subdue,  the  Lord  Chief  Justice  concluded  the  proceedings 
by  declaring  that  "  execution  was  granted."  No  supplica- 
tions for  life,  no  base  confessions  with  a  view  to  conciliate 
pardon,  no  abject,  flattering  encomiums  of  the  King's 
wonted  mercy,  were  heard  from  the  prisoner ;  greater, 
perhaps,  in  this  state  of  unjust  condemnation,  than  in  pros- 
perity. He  begged  merely  not  to  be  cut  off  so  suddenly, 
for  that  he  "  had  something  to  do  in  discharge  of  his  con- 
science, something  to  satisfy  the  world  in  ;"  and  he  "  de- 
sired to  be  heard  at  the  day  of  his  death."  In  requesting 
this  leisure  he  besought  them  not  to  consider  that  he  crav- 
ed one  minute  of  life,  for  being  now  old,  sickly,  in  disgrace, 
and  certain  of  death,  life  was  wearisome  to  him.  He  said 
with  an  emphasis  almost  approaching  to  sublimity,  that  he 
never  was  disloyal  to  His  Majesty,  which  he  should  prove 
where  he  should  not  fear  the  face  of  any  king  on  earth. 
He  concluded  his  address  by  beseeching  that  he  might 
have  their  prayers,  and  was  then  conveyed  under  charge 
of  the  sheriffs  to  the  Gate-house  in  Westminster,  near  the 
Palace  Yard. 

The  king  was  now  in  Hertfordshire,  on  his  progress,  yet 
the  warrant  for  Ralegh's  execution  was  produced  immedi- 
ately after  the  passing  of  the  sentence,  dated  the  same 
day,  signed,  and  directed  to  the  Lord  Chancellor  Verulam. 
The  mode  of  execution  was  changed  from  hanging  to  that 
of  beheading  only,  a  commutation  of  his  sentence  which 
Ralegh,  it  may  be  remembered,  had  earnestly  solicited  at 
his  former  condemnation.  The  time  for  which  he  had  pe- 
titioned, on  the  plea  of  both  temporal  and  eternal  concerns 
was  not  however  granted.  James,  who  had  absented  him- 
self from  the  close  of  the  mournful  tragedy  which  he  per- 
mitted to  disgrace  the  annals  of  his  reign,  was  fearful, 


250  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

probably,  of  the  explosion  of  popular  indignation.  Appre- 
hensions of  this  nature  probably  hastened  the  death  of  Ra- 
legh. Perhaps,  in  mercy,  suspense,  which  often  shakes 
the  strongest  minds,  was  not  added  to  the  other  tria'a 
which  the  illustrious  sufferer  had  to  encounter.  The  bit 
terness  of  death  was  past,  when  its  certainty  was  pro- 
nounced. That,  which  to  the  happy,  and  to  the  sanguine, 
might  be  a  close  to  enjoyment  and  to  hope,  was  to  the  sor- 
rowing father,  the  disappointed  patriot,  the  subject  be- 
reaved of  liberty,  and  loaded  with  disgrace,  the  commence- 
ment of  a  brighter  existence,  and  the  harbinger  of  peace. 
Happily  for  Ralegh's  fame,  and  still  more  happily  for  his 
peace,  his  mind  could  rally  under  the  pressure  of  severe 
calamities,  and  was  aroused  to  exertions  admirable  to 
others,  and  conferring  comfort  to  his  own  breast,  by  the 
presence  of  powerful  excitements,  whether  of  joy,  or  of 
grief.  By  the  regulation  of  his  feelings,  and,  it  may  be 
trusted,  the  elevation  of  his  thoughts  to  that  source  whence 
grace  to  the  pure  and  contrite  is  never  asked  in  vain,  he 
was  enabled  to  reply  to  the  sorrowing  observations  of  his 
friends  in  a  manner  worthy  of  a  Christian  philosopher. 
"  The  world,"  he  calmly  observed,  "  was  but  a  large 
prison,  out  of  which  some  were  daily  selected  for  execu- 
tion." 

Dr.  Robert  Townson,  Dean  of  Westminster,  and  after- 
wards Bishop  of  Salisbury,  who  was  commanded  by  the 
Council  to  be  with  him,  found  him  not  only  resigned,  but 
a  man  most  fearless  of  death  that  ever  was  known ;  and  the 
most  resolute  and  confident,  yet  with  reverence  and  con- 
science. When  this  divine  endeavored  to  console  him, 
he  heard  from  the  object  of  his  solicitude  that  "  he  had 
never  feared  death ;"  and  much  less  then,  for  it  was  but  an 
opinion  and  imagination ;  and  the  manner  of  death,  though 
to  othe/s  it  might  seem  grievous,  yet  he  had  rather  die  so 
than  of  a  burning  fever."  And  when  the  conscientious  and 
assiduous  minister  of  the  gospel  sought  to  probe  into  his 
soul,  and  to  discover  whether  that  which  the  condemned 
man  described  as  religious  confidence  and  peace,  might  not 
be  the  effect  of  presumption,  or  of  vain-glory,  he  was  as- 
sured by  Ralegh  of  his  conviction  that  "  no  man  that  knew 
God,  and  feared  him,  could  die  with  cheerfulness  and  cour- 
age, except  he  were  assured  of  the  love  and  favor  of  God 
towards  him." 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  251 

On  the  day  of  his  execution  he  received  the  communion, 
and  was  "very  cheerful  and  merry,"  expressing-  himself  to 
Dr.  Townson,  full  of  hopes  that  he  should,  at  his  death, 
convince  the  world  of  his  innocence.  He  never  touched 
upon  the  grounds  of  his  first  trial,  but  asserted  his  inno- 
cence of  the  charges  latterly  brought  against  him. 

On  the  morning  after  sentence  of  execution,  he  met  his 
doom.     October  29th,  the  day  of  his  death,  was  one  of  fes- 
tivity to  many  of  his  fellow-subjects,  for  it  was  that  then 
usually  appropriated  to  the  Lord  Mayor's  procession.     Ra- 
leo-h,  even  to  the  last,  behaved  with  his  wonted  magna- 
nimity, ate  his  breakfast  as  usual,  and  took  tobacco ;  reply- 
ing to  the  observations  of  those  who  were  with  him,  that 
he  thought  no  more  of  his  death  than  if  he  had  been  in 
preparation  to  take  a  journey.     A  scaffold  was  erected  m 
the  Old  Palace  Yard,  near  the  Parliament  House.     This 
last  stage  to  eternity  Sir  Walter  ascended  with  composure 
and  even  with  cheerfulness,   saluting  the  numerous  and 
hio-h-born  assemblage,  who  were  present,   among  whom 
were  many  with  whom  he  had  been  long  and  intimately 
acquainted.  His  dress,  on  this  solemn  occasion,  was  studied 
with  the  same  precision  and  attention  to  decorum  that  he 
had  ever  observed  in  his  attire.     It  was  grave  but  costly, 
and  adapted  at  once  to  the  accommodation  of  his  infirmi- 
ties, and  to  the  situation  in  which  he  was  placed  on  this 
last  occasion  of  his  life.     Drooping  with  sickness,   and 
broken  with  calamities  and  ill-requited  services,  his  appear- 
ance may  probably  have  suggested  to  the  beholders  the  re- 
flection, that  had  the  ax  of  the  executioner  spared  him 
but  for  a  brief  space  of  time,  the  visitations  of  disease,  and 
the  course  of  nature,  would  have  relieved  King  James  of 
his  supposed  and  dreaded  enemy.     It  must,  indeed,  have 
been  an  afflicting,  as  it  was  a  disgraceful  spectacle,  to  be- 
Aold  age,  under  its  most  venerable  and  pitiable  aspect,  thus 
exposed  to  a  fate  which,  even  in  its  softened  form,  could 
not  be  regarded  but  as  one  full  of  opprobrium  and  of  se- 

After  silence  had  been  proclaimed,  Sir  Walter  addressed 
the  bystanders,  requesting  them,  if  they  perceived  in  him 
any  weakness  of  voice,  or  faltering  of  manner,  to  attribute 
them  to  the  languor  of  disease,  with  which  he  was  attacked 
by  intermission,  and  that  this  was  the  wonted  hour  of  its 
approach.     After  a  short  pause  he  sat  down,  and  turning 


252  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

towards  a  window,  in  which  were  placed  the  Earls  of 
Arundel,  Northampton,  and  Doncaster,  'he  continued,  "  I 
thank  God  that  he  hath  brought  me  to  die  in  the  light,  and 
not  in  darkness."  But  fearing  that  his  voice  was  inaudible, 
he  said  he  would  endeavor  to  exert  it,  upon  which  those 
noblemen  immediately  came  to  the  scaffold,  and,  after  ex- 
changing salutations,  were  enabled  effectively  to  hear  Ra- 
legh's last  justification.  In  this  he  distinctly,  and  to  the 
impartial  listener  satisfactorily,  justified  himself  from  the 
principal  allegations  which  had  attainted  his  loyalty  as  a 
subject,  his  honor  as  a  private  individual,  and  his  conduct 
as  a  naval  commander.  It  has  been  before  observed,  that 
he  also  exonerated  himself  from  the  charge  of  having  fol- 
lowed the  Earl  of  Essex  to  the  scaffold,  that  he  might  sa- 
tiate a  base  spirit  of  revenge  with  the  sight  of  his  suffer- 
ings. In  vindicating  his  conduct  as  a  subject,  he  denied 
with  vehemence  that  he  had  ever  engaged  in  any  plot  with 
the  King  of  France,  or  had  a  commission  from  him,  or  even 
seen  the  hand-writing  of  that  monarch.  This  had  been 
one  of  the  calumnies  which  Stucley  and  Mannourie  had 
devised.  He  solemnly  declared  that  he  had  never  uttered 
dishonorable  or  disloyal  expressions  touching  the  King  ;-an 
accusation  which  had,  he  said,  been  fabricated  by  a  "  base 
Frenchman,  a  runagate  fellow,  one  that  had  no  dwelling — 
a  kind  of  chemical  fellow,  one  that  he  knew  tc  be  perfidi- 
ous." This  man,  he  had,  as  he  confessed,  intrusted  with 
the  secret  of  his  projected  flight,  which  Mannourie  had  in- 
stantly revealed. 

He  acknowledged  that  he  had  intended  to  escape,  but 
justified  that  natural  design  by  the  plea  of  wishing  to  save 
his  life.  He  confessed,  what  was  less  excusable,  that  he  had 
dissembled  and  feigned  sickness,  but  referred  as  a  precedent, 
to  the  example  of  David,  who  had  assumed  the  appearance 
of  an  idiot  to  escape  from  his  enemies. 

He  declared  that  he  forgave  his  betrayers,  Stucley  and 
Mannourie,  but  warned  all  men  to  beware  of  their  perfidy. 
He  denied,  specifically,  several  particulars  which  they  had 
adduced,  especially  in  relation  to  the  sum  of  ten  thousand 
pounds,  which  Stucley  had  declared  Sir  Walter  to  have 
offered  him  as  a  bribe  for  his  escape.  After  commenting 
minutely  on  his  conduct  during  his  voyage,  he  concluded 
his  exhortation  in  these  words: — 

"  And  now  I  entreat  you  all  to  join  with  me  in  prayer  to 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  253 

the  Great  God  of  Heaven,  whom  I  grievously  offended, 
being  a  man  full  of  vanity,  and  lived  a  sinful  life  in  all  sin- 
ful callings, — for  I  have  been  a  soldier,  a  captain,  a  sea-cap- 
tain, and  a  courtier,  which  are  courses  of  wretchedness  and 
vice,— that  God  would  forgive  me  and  cast  away  my  sins  from 
me,  and  that  he  would  receive  me  into  everlasting  life.  So 
I  take  my  leave  of  all  you,  making  my  peace  with  God." 

On  the  proclamation  being  made  that  all  persons  should 
depart  from  the  scaffold,  Sir  Walter,  after  taking  off  some 
of  his  attire,  gave  his  hat,  a  wrought  cap  which  he  wore,  and 
some  money  to  his  attendants.  On  bidding  a  last  farewell 
to  the  noblemen  and  other  friends,  who  stood  around  him, 
he  entreated  the  Lord  Arundel  to  petition  the  King,  that 
no  calumnious  publications  might  defame  him  after  his 
death :  an  entreaty  which  was  utterly  disregarded.  The 
composure  of  his  demeanor  may  be  gathered  from  the  sim- 
ple and  tranquil,  yet  decorous  observations  which  fell  in 
these  solemn  moments  from  his  lips.  With  the  magnanimi- 
ty, without  the  untimely  jocularity  of  Sir  Thomas  More, 
he  referred  to  the  awful  change  which  both  soul  and  body 
were  shortly  to  undergo,  by  remarking  "  that  he  had  a 
long  journey  to  go,  and  must  therefore  speedily  take  his 
leave."  Having  taken  off  his  gown  and  doublet,  he  desired 
the  executioner  to  show  him  the  fatal  instrument  of  destruc- 
tion. The  man,  hesitating  to  comply,  Sir  Walter  said,  "  I 
pr'ythee  let  me  see  it :  dost  thou  think  that  I  am  afraid  of 
it]"  Having  passed  his  finger  on  the  edge  of  the  ax,  he 
returned  it,  saying  to  the  sheriff,  "  this  is  a  sharp  medicine, 
but  it  is  a  cure  for  all  diseases."  Then,  entreating  the 
prayers  of  the  beholders,  that  God  might  strengthen  and 
assist  him,  he  gave  the  customary  forgiveness  to  the  exe- 
cutioner, laying  his  hand  on  the  shoulder  of  the  man. 
These  preliminaries  being  arranged,  he  was  asked,  as  he 
.aid  his  head  on  the  block,  in  which  direction  he  would 
place  it:  an  inquiry  which  he  calmly  answered,  by  ob- 
serving "that  if  the  heart  be  right,  it  were  no  matter 
which  way  the  head  was  laid."  The  executioner  threw 
his  cloak  over  him  as  he  reclined  his  body  on  the  block, 
his  face  being-  turned  towards  the  east.  In  a  few  seconds 
Sir  Walter  gave  the  signal  that  he  was  prepared  for  the 
solemn  office,  by  raising  his  hand.  No  start  of  weakness, 
no  trembling  movement,  indicated  either  the  emotions  of 
mental  agitation,  or  those  of  nervous  sensation.  By  two 
W 


254  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

strokes  his  head  was  severed  from  his  body :  it  was  then 
displayed  to  the  populace  on  each  side  of  the  scaffold,  and 
put  into  a  red  leather  bag;  and  his  velvet  night-gown 
being  thrown  over  it,  it  was  carried  away  in  a  mourning 
coach  belonging  to  the  desolate  Lady  Ralegh,  by  whom  it 
was  long  preserved  in  a  case,  and,  after  her  death,  kept 
with  the  same  reverential  care  by  her  son  Carew,  in  whose 
grave  it  was  buried.  His  body  was  interred  in  the  church 
of  St.  Margaret,  in  Westminster,  near  the  altar  of  the  sa- 
cred edifice. 

After  his  death,  two  lines  were  generally  circulated, 
stated  to  be  his,  and  said  to  have  been  suggested  by  the 
expiring  snuff  of  a  candle,  the  very  night  before  he  died. 

Cowards  fear  to  die,  but  courage  stout, 
Rather  than  live  in  snuff,  will  be  put  out.* 

This  couplet  is  also  thought  to  have  referred  to  a  sug- 
gestion made  to  Ralegh  to  solicit  Gondemar  to  sue  to  James 
for  his  pardon.  The  proposal  was  offered  to  him  by  Lord 
Clare,  one  of  Ralegh's  earliest  and  latest  friends,  in  asso- 
ciation with  whom  he  had  served  both  in  court  and  in 
camps,  and  to  whom  he  was  attached  by  reciprocity  of 
sentiments,  and  similarity  of  pursuits.  Yet  Lord  Clare 
could  not  prevail  with  Ralegh  to  risk  the  chance  of  a  re- 
fusal, with  the  sacrifice  of  that  which  he  deemed  a  point  of 
honor.  "  I  am  neither  so  old  nor  so  infirm,"  said  he,  "  but 
that  I  should  be  content  to  live ;  and,  therefore,  this  would 
I  do,  were  I  sure  it  would  do  my  business ;  but  if  it  fail, 
then  I  shall  lose  both  my  life  and  my  honor,  and  both  those 
I  will  not  part  with.f" 

The  lines,  entitled  by  Archbishop  Sancroft,  "  Ralegh's 
epitaph,"  were  given,  according  to  that  learned  prelate,  by 
Sir  Walter  to  one  of  his  attendants,  the  night  before  his 
execution ;  and  were  said  to  have  been  found  in  his  Bible, 
in  the  Gate-house  at  Westminster.  This  touching  and  al- 
most sublime  composition,  is  thus  given  in  the  best  collec- 
tion of  Ralegh's  works : — 

Even  such  is  time,  that  takes  on  trust 
Our  youth,  our  joys,  our  all  we  have, 
And  pays  us  but  with  age  and  dust; 
Who  in  the  dark  and  silent  grave, 
When  we  have  wandered  all  our  ways, 
Shuts  up  the  story  of  our  days! 

*  Folio  edition  of  Ralegh,  viii   729. 

t  Note  in  Biog.  from  Collin's  Collections,  fol.  p.  10. 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  255 

But  from  this  earth,  this  grave,  this  dust, 
The  Lord  shall  raise  me  up,  I  trust.* 

The  more  elaborate  poetical  effusion,  entitled  the  Fare- 
well, and  formerly  asserted  to  have  been  the  composition 
of  Ralegh's  last  hours,  was,  however,  in  print  so  early  as 
the  year  1608,  when  it  appeared  in  "  Davisons'  Rhapsody." 
It  is  also  to  be  found  in  a  manuscript  collection  of  Ralegh's 
Poems,  dated  1596.  It  is  written  with  considerable  force 
and  point,  and  is,  undoubtedly,  the  most  vigorous  of  Ra- 
legh's poems ;  yet  it  breathes  not  that  chastened  and  be- 
nevolent spirit  which  he  appears  to  have  imbibed  in  the 
close  of  his  later  years. 

Several  occurrences,  unimportant  in  themselves,  appear 
to  have  renewed  the  subject  of  Ralegh's  death  hi  the  pub- 
lic mind,  for  a  short  time  after  his  execution.  One  anec- 
dote, related  by  Osborne,  shows  the  jealousy  of  government 
of  every  tribute,  whether  serious  or  frivolous,  to  his  mem- 
ory; and  also  illustrates  the  summary  and  tyrannical  mode 
then  adopted  of  checking  any  popular  feeling. 

It  was  the  fashion  of  those  times,  a  custom  in  which  the 
facetious  Mr.  Francis  Osborne  frequently  concurred,  for  the 
principal  nobles,  gentry,  courtiers,  and  men  in  professions 
and  occupations,  not  "  merely  mechanic,"  to  meet  in  St. 
Paul's  Church  by  eleven,  and  walk  in  the  middle  aisle  till 
twelve.  This  practice  was  renewed  after  dinner,  from 
three  to  six,  and  afforded  to  the  great,  the  gay,  the  ambi- 
tious, and  the  curious,  a  place  of  rendezvous,  where  the 
topics  of  the  day  wTere  discussed,!  and  much  important 
business,  under  the  semblance  of  pastime,  oftentimes  ar- 
ranged. 

Soon  after  Ralegh's  death,  Mr.  Edward  Weimark,  a 
wealthy  merchant,  one  of  the  frequenters  of  this  noted 
promenade,  and  called,  on  that  account,  a  Paul's  walker, 
chanced  to  express  a  wish  that  Ralegh's  head  were  on  Sir 
Robert  Naunton's  shoulders,  alluding  to  the  notion  of  inca- 
pacity and  frivolity  which  he  attached  to  Naunton,  who 
was  better  fitted  for  a  mere  courtier,  than  for  the  office  of 
Secietary  of  State.  The  observation  was  thought,  how- 
ever, to  imply  an  insult,  and  the  offence  was  deemed  a 
grave  one :  Weimark  was  summoned  before  the  Privy 
Council,  and  was  obliged  to  allege  in  his  defence,  that  he 
had  only  meant  that  two  heads  were  better  than  one.  Some 

*  See  Oxford  edition.  t  Osborne's  Mem.  of  King  James,  449. 


256  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

time  afterwards,  upon  a  contribution  being-  raised  for  St 
Paul's  Cathedral,  Weimark  at  the  Council  Chamber  sub- 
scribed one  hundred  pounds ;  but  the  secretary  remarking-, 
that  "  two  hundred  were  better  than  one,"  the  citizen  be- 
came alarmed  at  the  renewal  of  the  old  proverb,  and  dou- 
bled his  subscription. 

But  soon  the  recollection  of  Ralegh  was  dissipated  by 
fresh  events,  or  it  passed  away,  according  to  the  fashion 
of  an  inconstant  world,  except  in  the  minds  of  those  whose 
love  to  him  was  not  of  a  transitory  nature.  Dr.  Townson, 
who,  on  the  9th  of  November,  penned  a  narrative  of  his 
last  hours,  remarks,  "  this  was  the  news  a  week  since ;  but 
now  it  is  blown  over,  and  he  is  forgotten.*"  Soon  did  his 
sad  fate  cease  to  excite  sympathy,  or  the  causes  of  his  death 
to  challenge  conjecture. 

It  is  some  consolation  to  find,  that  Stucley's  part  in  this 
mournful  history,  was  not  so  hastily  obliterated  from  the 
public  mind.  Both  he  and  Mannourie  became  the  subjects 
of  universal  opprobrium.f  The  firmness  of  Ralegh  in  his 
asseverations,  having  shaken  all  credence  in  Stucley's  cal- 
umnies, that  individual  offered,  at  court,  to  take  the  sacra- 
ment that  what  he  had  said  of  Ralegh  was  true,  and  to 
produce  two  other  witnesses  that  would  do  the  same.  Nev- 
ertheless his  company  was  obviously  avoided  ;  and,  on  a 
subsequent  occasion,  his  character  was  fully  disclosed  in  a 
fraudulent  transaction.  For  avarice,  his  besetting  sin, 
having  tempted  him  to  lay  his  hands  upon  some  coin  in  the 
very  palace  of  Whitehall,  he  was  condemned  to  be  hanged, 
and  was  constrained  to  purchase  his  pardon  by  the  sacrifice 
of  all  his  possessions,  even,  as  it  is  said,  to  his  shirt.  He 
afterwards  returned  to  the  little  island  of  Lundy,  in  the 
Severn,  and  died,  in  less  than  two  years  after  Ralegh,  in- 
sane, and  a  beggar.J 

Respecting  Ralegh's  surviving  family,  a  far  more  char- 
itable species  of  interest  is  felt,  than  that  which  the  mise- 
rable fate  of  Stucley  inspires.  His  widow  survived  him 
nine  and  twenty  years,  but  never  replaced  one  who  had 
few  equals,  by  a  second  marriage.  After  his  death  she  is 
said  to  have  relaxed  not  in  her  exertions  to  rescue  his 
property  from  the  grasp  of  others,  and  to  have  petitioned 

*  Townsou's  Letter,  Oxford  ed.  viii.  782. 

t  Letter  in  Cayley's  App.  ii.  417.  t  Oldys,  221 


i,IFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  257 

government  to  restore  his  Irish  estates  to  his  family,  on  the 
ground  that  the  sale  was  illegal,  and  the  whole  transaction 
irregular. 

Carew  Ralegh,  the  only  surviving  offspring  of  Sir  Wal- 
ter and  Lady  Ralegh,  was,  at  the  time  of  his  father's  death, 
thirteen  years  of  age.  He  was  educated  at  Wadham  Col- 
lege, Oxford,  and  introduced  at  Court,  by  William  Earl  of 
Pembroke,  his  kinsman,  and  the  son  of  that  noble  lady  who 
was  the  subject  of  Ben  Jonson's  commendations,  and  who 
had  formerly  interceded  for  Sir  Walter  Ralegh.  But,  al- 
though thus  protected,  the  misfortunes  of  his  family  were, 
in  many  respects,  extended  to  Carew  Ralegh.  On  his  ap- 
pearance at  Court,  the  King  observing  "that  he  looked 
like  the  ghost  of  his  father,"  the  poor  youth  was  constrained 
to  absent  himself,  and  to  travel  for  a  year,  when  the  death 
of  James  occurring,  he  returned.  Parliament  being  then 
sitting,  he  petitioned  to  be  restored  to  his  rights,  but  was 
not  allowed  the  privilege  of  inheriting  his  father's  proper- 
ty, until  he  had  been  induced,  by  threats  and  persuasions, 
to  give  up  all  claim  upon  the  Sherborne  estate,  which  had 
been  consigned  to  Digby,  Earl  of  Bristol.  Nor  was  tha  i 
portion  of  his  fathers  lands  ever  restored  to  him,  although, 
upon  the  subsequent  flight  of  Digby  to  France,  a  fair  op- 
portunity of  rendering  him  justice  was  presented.  He 
was  permitted,  however,  to  retain  a  pension  of  400Z.  a  year, 
which  had  been  allowed  to  Lady  Ralegh  during  her  life, 
and  lie  was  afterwards  constituted  by  General  Monk,  gov- 
ernor of  Jersey.  Carew  Ralegh  sought  to  vindicate  his 
father's  fame  both  in  his  letters  to  Mr.  James  Howell ;  and 
in  his  work,  entitled  a  "  Brief  Relation  of  Sir  Walter  Ra- 
legh's Troubles."  He  is  also  supposed  to  have  been  the 
author  of  "  Observations  on  Sanderson's  History  of  Mary 
Queen  of  Scots,  and  her  son  James."  He  inherited  some 
portion  of  his  father's  abilities,  and  poetical  turn,  but  not 
his  enthusiasm  and  elevation  of  character.  Perhaps  the 
depressing  circumstances  of  his  birth  and  education,  may 
account  for  the  cautious,  and  as  some  writers  state,  inter- 
ested nature  of  his  disposition.  By  a  fortunate  marriage 
he  became  possessed  of  wealth ;  and,  in  the  person  of  his 
son,  the  title  of  Sir  Walter  Ralegh  was  revived,  at  the 
restoration  of  Charles  II.  It  is  a  pleasing  trait  in  the  con- 
duct of  Carew  Ralegh,  that  he  chose  to  be  buried  in  his 
father's  grave,  at  Westminster,  in  preference  to  being  in 
W2 


258  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

terred  at  either  of  the  country-seats  of  which  he  had  he- 
come  possessed,  both  at  West  Horsley,  in  Surrey,  and  at 
Kenton  Park,  near  Hampton  Court.* 

The  works  which  Ralegh  left  behind  him,  in  prose 
alone,  are  considerable ;  and  as  not  many  writers  have  ex- 
ceeded him  in  the  number  of  his  compositions,  very  few 
can  also  be  found  who  have  equalled  him  in  the  variety  of 
his  subjects. 

His  poetical  compositions  in  order  of  time,  are  first  enu- 
merated by  those  who  have  sedulously  collected  them  from 
various  publications,  or  from  the  Ashmolean  Library  at  Ox- 
ford, in  which  several  manuscript  pieces  attributed  to  him 
have  been  discovered.  Unlike  the  poets  of  more  modern 
times,  Ralegh  appears  to  have  carelessly  scattered  the  ef- 
fusions of  his  fancy  in  sundry  contemporary  publications, 
to  have  neglected  their  preservation,  and  to  have  disre- 
garded the  possibility  of  their  being  attributed  to  others. 
It  is  remarkable  that  a  stanza  in  his  "  Silent  Lover,"  one 
of  his  most  eulogized  poems,  was,  about  seventy  years  ago, 
current  among  the  fashionable  literary  circles,  as  the  pro- 
duction of  the  celebrated  Earl  of  Chesterfield.f 

It  is  evident  that  Ralegh  had  recourse  to  poetry  as  a 
recreation  only,  and  that  he  never,  even  in  his  youth,  con- 
sidered it  as  the  probable  basis  of  his  fame.  Hence,  the 
desultory  mode  in  which  his  lyric  efforts  were  flung,  as  it 
were,  from  his  pen ;  most  of  them  originating  in  the  pass- 
ing circumstances  of  the  day,  and  written  in  the  enthu- 
siasm of  the  moment.  We  are  therefore  to  regard  his 
poems  as  the  indications,  rather  than  the  fruits  of  his 
genius.  The  mind  which  unfolds  itself  in  his  finished 
works,  is  also  displayed,  forcible,  elegant,  and  imaginative, 
in  the  dreams  of  his  muse ;  but  it  is  obvious  that  he  be- 
stowed not,  in  preparing  these  latter  exhibitions  of  talent, 
the  same  care  as  in  more  important  undertakings.  Of  his 
poetry,  a  considerable  portion  is  devotional ;  some  pieces 

*  In  the  same  tomb  with  the  father  and  son,  or  very  near  to  it,  were 
interred  the  remains  of  James  Harrington,  the  author  of  Oceana.  Au 
brey  MSS.  Oxf.  ed.  R.  W.  viii.  744. 

t  Oxf  ed  Ral.  Works,  viii.  775,  note.    The  stanza  runs  thus  : — 

Silence  in  love  bewrays  more  woe 
Than  words,  though  ne'er  so  witty, 

A  beggar  that  is  dumb,  you  know 
Deserveth  double  pity. 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  259 

are  dedicated  to  flattery  of  Queen  Elizabeth,  under  a  strain 
of  affected  humility  and  of  passionate  admiration.  A  few 
pastoral,  and  two  satirical  compositions  vary  the  collec- 
tion ;  but  the  finest  verses  are  those  already  referred  to  in 
some  publications  entitled  the  "  Farewell,"  and  in  others 
the  "  Lie,"  and  beginning  with  the  spirited  and  well- 
known  stanza, 

Go  sou!,  the  body's  guest, 
Upon  a  thankless  errand. 

Fear  not  to  touch  the  best, 
The  truth  shall  be  thy  warrant. 

As  a  poet,  Sir  Walter  Ralegh  might,  perhaps,  in  the 
lapse  of  time  have  been  forgotten,  except  by  the  antiqua- 
ry; but  there  is  scarcely  another  subject  which  he  has 
handled,  his  treatises  upon  which  would  not  have  insured 
him  an  exalted  rank  in  the  literature  of  his  country.  Pos- 
sessed not  only  of  extensive  knowledge,  but  of  indefatiga- 
ble industry,  he  displayed  a  perfect  acquaintance  both  with 
military  and  maritime  science,  and  proved  in  his  numerous 
publications  on  these  subjects,  not  only  that  his  theories 
were  well-digested  and  ingenious,  but  that  his  information 
was  practical,  and  his  facts  gleaned  from  experience.  Upon 
military  operations  he  wrote  three  discourses,  two  of  which 
were  completed  during  the  three  eventful  and  busy  years 
of  his  life,  before  the  invasion  of  the  Spanish  Armada. 
Upon  maritimal  concerns  he  published  no  fewer  than  eight 
treatises,*  being,  as  he  proudly  announced,  the  first  writer 
either  ancient  or  modern  that  had  treated  on  this  subject.f 
These  works  are  written  with  great  perspicuity,  and,  al- 
though the  practices  recommended  in  them  be  now  obso- 
lete, and  the  improvements  and  plans  suggested,  super- 
seded by  the  rapid  strides  of  modern  science,  they  are  in- 
teresting, as  all  compositions  dictated  by  good  sense  and 
experience  must  ever  be  ;  and  curious,  as  illustrating  the 
comparative  progress  of  navigation,  and  of  the  arts  con- 
nected with  it.  Several  of  the  essays  were  dedicated,  or 
addressed  in  the  form  of  letters,  to  Prince  Henry. 

The  geographical  discoveries  of  Ralegh  would  have  held 
a  much  higher  station  in  the  collectanea  of  valuable  disser- 
tations which  he  left  to  posterity,  had  not  their  credit  beep 
lessened  by  speculations  in  which  the  interests  of  his  imme 


*  See  Notes  in  Biog.  art.  Ralegh,  with  a  complete  list  of  his  works, 
t  Hist  Wood.  lib.  5.  cap.  1.  sect.  6. 


260  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

diate  gains  were  obviously  considered,  and  those  of  truth 
disregarded.  He  appears  to  have  relied  too  readily  upon 
the  accounts  of  others,  and  to  have  allowed  himself,  ac- 
cording to  the  fashion  of  the  day,  when  no  precision  in  geo- 
graphical delineations  was  deemed  essential,  too  much  lati- 
tude in  conjecture ;  an  error  which  eventually,  as  we  have 
seen,  proved  fatal  to  his  reputation.  Those  of  his  works, 
which  may  be  classed  under  the  head  of  Physical  Geogra- 
phy, consisted  of  several  discourses  upon  the  discovery, 
planting,  and  settlement  of  Virginia ;  a  treatise  on  the  West 
Indies;  and  his  accounts  of  Guiana,  which  have  already 
been  noticed. 

It  has  been  well  remarked,  that  Ralegh  was  no  less 
qualified  to  govern  nations,  than  to  conquer  or  defend 
them,  an  observation  which  was  drawn  forch  by  the  num- 
ber of  political  works  which  he  composed.  Of  these,  one 
treatise  entitled  "  The  Cabinet  Council,  containing  the 
chief  Arts  of  Empire,  and  Mysteries  of  State,  discabinet- 
ed ;"  was  published  by  Milton  in  1658 ;  with  the  motto, 
"  Quis  Martem  tunica  tectum  adamantina  digne  scripse- 
rit '?"  And  with  the  following  notice.  "  Having  had  the 
manuscript  of  this  treatise,  written  by  Sir  Walter  Ralegh, 
many  years  in  my  hands,  and  finding  it  lately  by  chance, 
among  other  books  and  papers,  upon  reading  thereof,  I 
thought  it  a  kind  of  injury  to  withhold  longer  the  work  of 
so  eminent  an  author  from  the  public ;  it  being  both  an- 
swerable in  style  to  other  works  of  his  already  extant,  as 
far  as  the  subject  will  permit,  and  given  me  for  a  true 
copy  by  a  learned  man  at  his  death,  who  had  collected 
several  such  pieces.* 

"  Joh\  Milton." 

Whilst  this  essay  treats  on  the  nature  of  governments 
generally,  that  on  the  Prerogative  of  Parliament,  dedicated 
to  King  James,  and  printed  at  Middleburgh  in  1628,  des- 
cants in  the  form  of  dialogue,  and  in  an  ingenious  and  ani- 
mated manner,  on  the  peculiarities,  history,  and  advantages 
of  the  English  constitution  and  usages,  with  which  Ralegh 
had  no  ordinary  nor  superficial  acquaintance.  His  treatises 
on  political  subjects  amount  in  number  to  ten ;  the  authen- 
ticity of  one  or  two  of  these  is,  however,  doubtful ;  several 
are  still  in  manuscript  in  the  Ashmolean  Library  at  Ox- 

*See  Oxford  edit,  of  Ralegh's  Works,  vol.  viii.  p.  36. 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  261 

ord ;  but  lew  of  these  were  published  during  his  lifetime, 
ind,  consequently,  had  neither  the  benefit  of  his  correc- 
tions, nor  of  his  inspection. 

The  philosophical  writing's  of  Ralegh  are  remarkable  for 
the  peculiarly  happy  and  elegant  mode  in  which  his  posi- 
tions are  illustrated,  and  for  the  fascination  which  he 
throws  around  his  subject.  Whilst  to  the  profound  meta- 
physician they  may  appear  deficient  in  depth,  or  imperfect 
in  conception  and  arrangement,  they  are,  perhaps,  to  a 
general  reader,  the  most  engaging  of  all  his  works.  In 
the  "  Sceptic,"  he  has  ingeniously  shown  the  various  and 
contradictory  views,  which  may,  with  an  appearance  of 
justice,  be  entertained  of  the  same  subjects.  Upon  this 
fanciful  plan,  lie  has  displayed  extensive  observations  of 
nature,  and  a  knowledge  of  her  economy,  which  excite 
wonder  and  admiration,  when  his  multifarious  occupations, 
in  the  court,  the  camp,  and  the  cabinet,  are  considered. 
Ralegh,  during  the  short  periods  of  leisure  which  he  en- 
joyed, must  have  been  an  indefatigable  student,  and  that 
which  in  private  he  stored  up  with  so  much  assiduity,  he 
knew  well  how  to  apply  with  address,  when  called  forth 
by  occasion. 

Among  his  philosophical  works  have  been  classed,  "  The 
Instructions  to  his  Son,  and  Posterity,"  published  after  his 
death,  in  the  small  collection  of  his  works,  entitled  his 
"  Remains."  This  didactic  composition  reminds  the  mod- 
ern reader,  in  many  passages,  of  the  celebrated  Letters  of 
Lord  Chesterfield,  who  may,  perhaps,  have  borrowed  the 
notion  of  such  a  form  of  admonition  from  this  little  work. 
But  Ralegh,  in  directing  the  attention  of  youth  to  the  for- 
mation of  character,  presents,  as  the  only  solid  foundation, 
the  pure  principles  of  Christianity,  and  derives  his  best  max- 
ims from  Holy  Writ  itself.  He  places,  indeed,  a  sufficient, 
and  perhaps  more  than  sufficient  importance  upon  worldly 
motives  and  worldly  prudence ;  but  he  considers  them  ever  as 
in  subjection  to  virtue  and  religion.  In  this  respect  he  holds  a 
rank  as  an  instructor,  far  superior  to  the  ingenious  writer  with 
whom  the  foregoing  comparison  has  been  made.  Although 
he  enters  not  into  the  minutiae  of  deportment,  habits,  ard 
dress,  nor  upon  the  methods  necessary  for  the  attainment 
of  a  good  name  in  society,  upon  which  Lord  Chesterfield 
peculiarly  insisted,  yet  he  may  be  deemed,  of  the  two, 
the  wiser  friend,  and,  it  may  be  added,  the  more  affection- 


262  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

ate  father ;  for  he  writes  with  a  more  earnest  regard  to 
those  interests  of  his  child,  and  of  youth  in  general,  to 
which  an  anxious  parent  would  look  with  solicitude,  and 
inculcate  with  the  greatest  assiduity.  The  essays  of  Ra- 
legh are  calculated  to  form  the  pure  and  well-intentioned 
youth,  into  an  upright  and  religious  member  of  the  com- 
munity. Those  of  his  modern  rival  are  qualified  to  nour- 
ish selfishness,  to  encourage  the  subtleties  and  artifices  of 
polite  life,  and  to  convert  the  aspirations  of  youthful  ambi- 
tion into  an  habitual  reverence  for  worldly  advantages,  and 
for  these  alone. 

With  these  instructions  of  Ralegh  to  his  son,  has  been 
published  another  essay,  entitled,  "  The  dutiful  Advice  of 
a  loving  Son  to  his  Father,"  by  some  considered  as  a  satire 
upon  Ralegh,  but,  by  most  of  his  biographers,  considered  to 
be  the  production  of  his  son. 

Such  was  the  variety  of  Ralegh's  avocations,  that,  be- 
sides these  works  on  Moral  Philosophy,  he  left  two  others 
on  Natural  Philosophy,  for  one  of  which,  "  A  Treatise  on 
Mines,  and  the  Trial  of  Minerals,"  he  found  tune  to  collect 
materials  during  his  transient  visits  into  Cornwall  and  De- 
vonshire, and  improved,  and  extended  the  ideas  thus  ac- 
quired, by  his  acquaintance  with  the  West  Indies,  and  his 
intimacy  with  Sir  Adrian  Gilbert.  That  kinsman  of  Ra- 
legh, began,  in  the  reign  of  Elizabeth,  to  explore  the  long- 
neglected  mines  of  Comb  Martin,  from  the  stores  of  which 
Edward  the  Third  supplied  the  resources  for  his  wars  with 
France ;  and  from  the  silver  ore  of  which,  Sir  Adrian 
caused  two  massy  goblets  to  be  formed,  one  of  which  he 
presented  to  the  Earl  of  Bath,  and  the  other  to  the  Lord 
Mayor  of  London,  in  the  thirty-fifth  year  of  the  Queen's 
reign.* 

Ralegh  also  left  a  collection  of  "  Chymical  and  medicinal 
receipts  for  fixing  mercury,  preparing  antimony,  and  for 
the  cure  of  various  diseases."  This  work  is  still  in  manu- 
script, in  the  library  of  Sir  Hans  Sloane  :  it  is  contained  in 
about  seventy  leaves  in  quarto ;  and  on  one  leaf  Sir  Wal- 
ter has  written,  "  our  great  cordial,"  with  a  line  under  it, 
and  a  list  of  ingredients  following.! 

Of  Ralegh's  historical  productions,  some  incidental  no- 
tices have  already  been  given  in  the  course  of  this  sketch 

*  Oldys,  183.  t  Note  in  Oldys,  183 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  263 

of  his  life.  The  noblest  of  all  his  literary  productions,  the 
History  of  the  World,  was  not,  in  all  probability,  commenced 
until  he  had  entered  his  fifty-first  year ;  and  when,  in  sick- 
ness and  despondency,  he  had  to  check  the  afflicting  retro- 
spection of  his  heaviest  calamities,  to  sustain  unrelenting 
persecutions,  and  the  most  appalling  reverses  of  fortune, 
and  to  contend  against  the  depression  naturally  produced 
by  the  prospect  of  a  long  imprisonment.  Such  were  the 
circumstances  with  which  he  had  to  conflict,  and  such 
their  tendency  to  damp  his  ardor  for  fame,-  and  to  chill 
every  transport  of  enthusiasm.  These  were,  however,  in- 
effectual in  impeding  the  progress  of  such  a  portion  of  this 
undertaking  as  is  sufficient  to  perpetuate  Ralegh's  name, 
so  long  as  'our  national  literature  shall  continue  to  exist. 
It  is  deeply  to  be  regretted,  that  if  he  had  actually  collect- 
ed materials  for  a  second  part,  they  were  destroyed,  or  suf- 
fered to  remain  useless.  If,  as  an  historian  of  remote  ages; 
he  could  throw  any  interest  into  the  narrative  of  early 
times,  how  vivid  would  have  been  his  pictures  of  modern 
manners;  how  animated  his  details  of  the  achievements  of 
chivalry ;  how  graphic,  and  yet  how  impartial,  his  relations 
of  the  vast  changes,  which  time,  conquest,  or  religion,  ef- 
fect upon  our  moral  condition!  It  is,  however,  problemati- 
cal, whether  more  than  loose  notes,  or  hasty  reflections 
were  really  compiled  for  the  sequel  of  this  justly  eulogized 
undertaking. 

On  Ralegh's  epistolary  remains,  too  high  an  encomium 
can  scarcely  be  passed.  Of  these  Mr.  Oldys  had  seen 
twenty-eight  letters,  either  in  manuscript  or  in  print,  which, 
with  the  addition  of  those  printed  in  the  Appendix  to  this 
work,  and  collected  from  the  State  Paper  Office,  amount 
to  a  considerable  number,  and  would  form  a  small  volume. 
Some  of  his  epistles,  especially  to  Sir  Ralph  Winwood, 
may  be  ranked,  from  the  important  events  they  describe, 
and  their  official  character,  among  his  historical  produc- 
tions. In  this  form  of  composition,  Ralegh  is  always  ad- 
mirable ;  and,  whether  we  view  him  as  a  grave  narrator 
of  facts,  or  in  the  familiarity  of  friendly  communication, 
he  has  been  equalled  by  few  of  our  English  writers ;  for 
few  nave  possessed  the  art  to  appear  wholly  concerned  in 
their  subjects,  and  but  little  in  themselves.  It  has  been 
remarked,  respecting  a  letter  of  Ralegh's  published  by  Sir 
Richard  Steele  in  the  Englishman,  that  there  is  no  satisfac- 


264 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH 


tory  evidence  of  its  authenticity.*  This,  of  his  epistles,  ia 
most  generally  admired,  and  known ;  yet,  although  a  beauti- 
ful composition,  it  might  seem  rather  to  be  the  production 
of  Steele  himself,  than  of  Ralegh,  with  whose  sentiments  of 
monarchy,!  as  well  as  with  his  usual  style  of  composition, 
it  is  at  variance  in  many  respects. 

Sir  Walter  Ralegh  was  sixty  years  old  at  the  time  of 
his  deatli ;  but,  although  then  suffering  from  fever,  retained 
considerable  vigor  of  constitution,  even  to  the  last.  The 
attributes  of  his  person  were  universally  acknowledged  by 
his  contemporaries,  to  be  strength,  symmetry,  and  dignity ; 
of  his  countenance,  proportion  and  expression,  not,  indeed, 
wholly  devoid  of  a  peculiarity,  at  first  sight,  unpleasing ; 
his  forehead  was  exceedingly  high,  and  the  contour  of  his 
face  altogether  long ;  and  the  general  impression  which  his 
presence  inspired,  was  that  of  a  commanding  boldness,  not 
unmingled  with  austerity.]:  There  was  an  ancient  rebus, 
usually  applied  in  Sir  Walter's  time,  to  his  name  as  it  waa 
then  pronounced : — 

"  The  enemy  to  the  stomach,§  and  the  word  of  disgrace,]) 
Is  the  name  of  the  gentleman  with  a  bold  face." 

Tradition  asserts  him  to  have  had  a  weak  voice,  a  report 
which  seems  probable,  from  the  apprehension  which  he 
manifested  on  several  important  public  occasions,  lest  he 
should  not  be  distinctly  heard.  Notwithstanding  his  learn- 
ed education,  his  intercourse  with  foreign  nations,  and  with 
polite  and  intellectual  society  at  home,  Sir  Walter  Ralegh 
is  said  to  have  spoken  "  broad  Devonshire  to  his  dying 
day.lP 

In  his  ordinary  habits  of  life,  he  possessed  that  faculty, 
conspicuous  in  men  of  powerful  genius,  of  being  able  quick- 
ly to  vary  his  pursuits,  and  of  giving  the  whole  powers  of 
his  mind  to  that  which  ought  immediately  to  occupy  his 
attention.  The  various  faculties  of  his  understanding  were 
thus  incessantly  called  into  exercise,  and  no  portion  of  hia 
acquirements  was  suffered  to  fall  into  disuse.  In  the  early 
part  of  his  life,  it  seems  incomprehensible  how  he  could 
have  studied ;  and,  when  he  found  leisure,  or  retirement, 
to  accumulate  the  great  stores  of  learning,  which  after- 

*  Cayley.        t  See  his  Cabinet  Council.  Oxford  ed.  vol.  viii.  p.  37,  38. 
t  Aubrey's  MSS.  Oxford  ed.  vol.  viii.  p.  737.  X  Raw- 

|  Ly.  1T  Aubrey. 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH.  265 

wards  caused  him  to  be  reputed  "  one  of  the  weightiest  and 
wisest  men  that  this  island  ever  bred.*"  Independent  of 
his  military  career,  of  a  life  of  incessant  activity  in  Ireland; 
in  France,  in  Portugal,  and  at  home,  he  was  the  gayest 
member  of  society,  and  the  most  loquacious,  frolicsome,  and 
frequent  attendant  upon  taverns,  and  other  places  of  resort, 
then  in  vogue.  He  was  not,  however,  indiscriminate  in 
his  approval  of  certain  companions.  Aubrey  relates,  that 
being  much  annoyed  by  the  impertinence  and  incessant 
vociferation  of  one  Charles  Chester,  the  original  of  Ben 
Jonson's  Carlo  Buffone,f  Sir  Walter  sealed  up  the  mouth, 
upper  and  nether  beard  of  this  noisy  personage,  with  hard 
wax,  accompanying  the  outrage  with  an  effectual  beating. 
Of  Ralegh's  social  habits  but  few  authentic  anecdotes  have 
been  transmitted  to  us.  Inferences,  from  casual  remarks 
and  various  authors,  may,  however,  be  drawn,  that  he  was 
frequently,  during  his  liberty,  in  public  and  in  private  fes- 
tivities, into  which  he  introduced,  both  by  the  importation 
of  tobacco,  and  his  own  practice,  the  custom  of  smoking, 
with  a  silver  pipe,  which  was  at  first  handed  round  from 
one  man  to  another  at  table.f  But  he  knew  how  to  in- 
dulge in  recreation  without  constituting  it  the  sole  end  and 
aim  of  his  being,  an  error,  fatal  to  enjoyment,  as  well  as  to 
mental  attainments.  Few  men  were  so  independent  of 
external  circumstances :  within  the  walls  of  a  prison,  or, 
what  is  almost  equally  a  durance,  the  narrow  bounds  of  a 
ship's  cabin,  he  could  make  to  himself  an  imaginary  world 
by  the  aid  of  study  and  reflection.  We  have  seen  how  he 
employed  the  period  of  his  captivity :  he  is  said  also  to  have 
studied  assiduously  in  his  sea  voyages,  where  he  carried 
always  along  with  him  a  great  trunk  of  books.  § 

On  the  qualities  of  Sir  Walter  Ralegh's  mind,  most 
writers  have  been  agreed.  That  he  possessed  imagination, 
not  rendered  sickly  by  continued  indulgence,  but  invigo- 
rated by  the  aid  of  judgment  and  cultivation,  is  undeniable. 
That  the  scope  which  he  proposed  to  himself  in  his  literary 
undertakings  was  most  extensive,  and  that  it  could  only  be 
compassed  by  a  mind  of  the  most  elevated  and  powerful 
character,  is  equally  obvious.  He  planned  more  than  many 

*  Howell's  Letters,  vol.  ii.  p.  372. 

t  See  "  Every  Man  out  of  his  Humor." 

X  Aubrey.  §  Ibid. 


266  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

men  have  ventured  even  to  think  on ;  he  executed  what 
few  individuals  have  been  bold  enough  to  plan.  Although 
an  experim  mtalist,  he  was  not  merely  a  dreamer ;  his  en- 
ergies were  in  proportion  to  his  schemes.  Yet  in  delinea- 
ting the  mental  characteristics  of  this  extraordinary  man, 
we  cannot  but  acknowledge  the  preponderance  of  his  ima- 
gination over  the  other  attributes  of  his  intellect;  a  prepon- 
derance increased  by  a  temperament  naturally  ardent  and 
sanguine.  Subdued,  as  it  was,  by  the  necessities  of  action, 
and  by  an  incessant  mingling  with  the  realities  of  life,  it 
was  this  quality,  which,  whilst  it  gave  the  charm,  pro- 
duced also  the  danger  to  Ralegh's  career.  In  a  moral 
sense,  whilst  it  was  the  source  of  most  of  his  glorious  en- 
terprises, it  was  also  the  cause  of  his  speculations,  of  his 
acts  of  imprudence,  and  schemes  of  ambition.  The  errors 
of  his  life  may  far  more  justly  be  traced  to  the  visionary 
notions  which  he  indulged,  and  which  were  not,  indeed, 
always  of  a  selfish  character,  than  to  gross  deficiencies  in 
principle,  or  defects  of  the  heart.  His  faults,  exaggerated 
as  they  were  by  the  writers  of  his  own  times,  belonged  to 
the  period  in  which  he  lived :  his  virtues  attained  a  degree 
of  eminence  which  a  far  more  civilized  age  would  have 
viewed  with  admiration  and  repaid  with  gratitude.  Where, 
in  any  of  the  successive  reigns,  up  to  the  present  day,  do 
we  behold  such  instances  of  patriotic  exertion  in  a  private 
individual,  as  in  Ralegh,  who  never  attained  any  offices  in 
the  state,  but  such  as  were  calculated  to  give  him  local 
importance  only?  Though  accused,  and  in  some  points 
convicted  of  avarice,  where  the  national  glory  was  con- 
cerned he  risked,  in  his  earliest  expeditions,  large  portions 
of  his  property ;  and,  in  his  last  fatal  voyage,  ventured  all 
that  he  possessed.  Though  ambitious,  and  a  courtier,  he 
was  not  time-serving,  like  Cecil,  nor  despicably  subser- 
vient, like  Bacon :  and,  at  the  accession  of  James  I.,  was 
almost  the  only  man  that  dared  to  give  that  monarch  hon- 
est counsel.  Though  desirous,  after  his  disgrace,  of  resti- 
tution to  honor  and  station,  he  was  yet  above  seeking  it  by 
any  base  crimination  of  others,  or  mean  concession  to  his 
oppressors :  he  neither  vilified  Cobham,  nor  condescended 
to  beg  from  Gondemar  the  boon  of  existence. 

As  a  statesman  Ralegh  was  earnest,  liberal,  enlightened, 
and,  generally,  independent.  As  a  British  subject,  he  was 
assiduous  in  his  country's  service ;  in  most  of  his  designs 


LIFE  OF  SIR  WAI  I'ER  RALEGH.  267 

benevolent,  and,  except  for  persecution,  he  would  have 
been  loyal.  As  an  author,  he  has  sought  to  promote  the 
interests  of  morality,  and  to  elevate  its  standard :  neither 
infidelity  nor  impurity  sullied  the  worth  of  his  productions. 
He  bequeathed  not  to  posterity  that  which  the  most  sedu- 
lous parent  might  not  place  in  the  hands  of  a  child,  just 
rising  to  a  consciousness  of  the  existence  of  evil.  He  did 
more ;  he  left  those  testimonies  of  his  wisdom,  and  efforts  • 
of  his  abilities,  which  would  inspire  in  the  youthful  breast 
sentiments  of  generous  ambition,  and  a  desire  of  laudable 
exertion.  To  the  senator,'  the  soldier,  the  mariner,  the 
student,  he  may  alike  be  presented  as  a  model  for  imita- 
tion, and  a  stimulus  to  hopes  of  success.  Nor,  when  we 
look  into  the  private  life  of  Ralegh,  are  we  compelled  to 
check  the  enjoyment  which  admiration  of  talent  produces: 
strongly  tinctured  with  the  erroneous  notions  of  the  day, 
in  some  points,  he  was  yet  a  good  man.  Though,  in  his 
youth,  he  ran  into  irregularities,  these  were  not  settled  into 
vices:  his  heart  was  affectionate,  and  his  horror  of  profli- 
gacy, on  many  occasions,  strongly  and  admirably  expressed.* 
Though  tempted,  in  the  ardor  of  military  fame,  to  acts  of 
cruelty,  he  became  patient,  lenient,  and  compassionate : 
this  is  evident  from  the  love  which  his  shipmates  bore  to 
him,  and  from  the  care  and  anxiety  which  he  evinced  for 
them  in  all  his  voyages.  Though  vehement  in  his  enmi- 
ties, hi  early  life,  his  latter  days  were  not  degraded,  as  far 
as  we  can  judge,  by  virulent  resentments  or  malevolent 
feelings,  for  which  few  men  could  have  been  more  ex- 
cused. His  expressions,  whenever  he  alludes  to  his 
wrongs,  are  temperate ;  and  on  all  solemn  occasions,  on 
his  trial,  at  his  execution,  though  he  earnestly  sought  to 
justify  himself,  he  abstained  from  reflections  upon  others. 

On  one  of  the  most  important  points  of  his  character, 
iiis  veracity,  opinions  are  still  divided.  Whether  Ralegh 
really  believed,  or  only  feigned  to  believe  in  the  riches  of 
Guiana;  whether  his  account  of  that  country  were  the  re- 
sult of  credulity,  or  the  labor  of  imposture,  can  scarcely  be 
determined.  But  on  these  considerations,  different  views 
will  be  adopted,  in  proportion  to  the  different  notions  im- 
bibed of  his  general  qualities.  Confiding  in  a  man,  as  hon- 
orable and  faithful,  we  should  be  inclined  rather  to  charge 

*  See  his  Letter  to  his  Son,  &c. 


268  LIFE  OF  SIR  WALTER  RALEGH. 

him  with  folly,  than  to  censure  him  for  deception.  In  the 
reign  of  James,  the  prevalent,  or  at  least  avowed  sentiment 
regarding  Ralegh,  was  that  of  distrust  and  reprobation. 
Hence  the  worst  construction  was  placed  upon  his  failure 
and  his  errors :  but  posterity,  rendering  him  justice  in  the 
other  passages  of  his  life,  will  be  more  inclined  to  view 
him  in  this  respect  with  indulgence. 


APPENDIX. 


Note  (A). 

The  potatoe  is  the  tuber  of  a  poisonous  plant,  the  Solatium  tuberosum 
a  native  of  South  America  ;  belonging  to  the  natural  order  Solanew.  It 
is  improperly  regarded  as  a  root,  as  it  is  a  tuber  or  an  underground  mag- 
azine of  nutriment  for  the  gems,  the  rudiments  of  the  lateral  progeny  of 
the  plant  which  is  to  become  plants  in  the  subsequent  year.  I  he  pota 
toe  is  not  even  attached  to  the  root ;  but,  by  cords  of  vessels,  or  wires,  as 
they  are  termed,  to  the  base  of  the  stem  or  caudex.  The  nutriment  form- 
ed in  the  plant  by  the  exposure  of  the  sap  to  the  air  and  light  in  the  leat, 
is  conveyed  through  these  wires,  and  deposited  in  the  tubes  for  the  use 
of  the  gems.  It  is  not,  however,  until  these  begin  to  vegetate,  that  the 
farinaceous  matter  is  absorbed  ;  and  at  this  time,  it  undergoes  a  change, 
and  acquires  saccharine  properties.  As  the  young  plant  grows,  the  pota- 
toe shrivels  ;  and,  being  at  length  exhausted,  becomes  an  empty  skin  ;  but 
ere  this  happens,  the  young  plants  are  capable  of  supplying  themselves 
from  the  ground,  and  no  longer  require  the  aid  of  the  tuber.  In  convert- 
in"  the  potatoe  therefore,  to  nourishment  for  himself,  man  robs  the  young 
plants  of  what  nature  intends  for  their  support :  by  the  art  of  cultiva- 
tion, however,  he  has  greatly  increased  the  supply  of  nutriment,  the  wild 
potatoe  affording  tubers  not  longer  than  a  walnut. 

The  uncooked  potatoe  possesses  injurious  if  not  poisonous  properties; 
but  heat  destroys  these,  and  converts  the  parenchyma  of  the  tuber  into  a 
highly  nutritive  and  agreeable  food.  It  is  a  matter  of  dispute  with  polit- 
ical economists,  whether  the  introduction  of  the  potatoe  has  really  con- 
tributed to  the  welfare  of  the  human  race.  ATT 


Note  (B). 

Notices  relative  to  Tobacco,  by  Doctor  A.  T.  Thomson. 

"  He  first  the  snuff-boi  open'd,  then  the  case." 

Rape  of  the  Loch. 

What  is  tobacco,  which  has  enslaved  to  its  use  the  greater  part  of  the 
human  race  for  upwards  of  three  centuries?  is  a  question  which  natural- 
ly occurs  to  the  mind  of  any  one  who  hears  or  reads  of  the  obstacles 
which  were  opposed  to  its  introduction  into  Europe,  and  the  popularity 
which  it  has  for  so  long  a  period  of  time  maintained.  The  reply  is  familiar 
to  every  one  :  it  is  the  dried  leaf  of  a  species  of  plant  which  is  named, 
in  botaiiical  language,  Nicotiana  tobacum  ;  but  it  is  not  generally  known 
that  the  Tobacco,  which  is  brought  to  this  country  in  the  form  ot  dried 
leaves  cigars,  and  snuff,  is  the  production  of  not  one  only,  but  of  several 
species  of  the  genus  Nicotiana.  The  greater  number  of  the  species  are 
animal  plants,  natives  of  South  America  ;  but  two,  at  least,  are  perenni 
al  •  the  Nicotiana  fruticosa,  which  is  a  shrub,  a  native  of  the  Cape  of 
Good  Hope,  and  of  China  ;  and  N.  urens,  a  native  of  South  America. 
Many  of  the  species  are  cultivated  in  Europe  ;  but,  it  is  remarkable  that 
Humboldt  found  only  two  of  them,  the  N.  paniculata,  and  N.  gluttnosa, 

rowin"  wild  in  the  Oroonoko.  He  added  two  new  species  to  the  family 
.ne  N.  laxcnsis  and  andicola,  which  he  found  on  the  Andes  at  1850  toises 
of  elevation.* 

The  species  of  Nicotiana  which  was  first  known,  and  which  still  tur 
nishes  the  greatest  supply  of  Tobacco,  is  the  N.  tabacum,  an  annual  plant 

*  Humboldt's  Personal  Narrative,  vol.  v. 


270  APPENDIX. 

a  native  of  South  America,  but  naturalized  to  our  climate.  It  is  a  tall, 
not  inelegant  plant,  rising  to  the  height  of  six  feet,  with  a  strong,  round, 
villous,  slightly  viscid  stem,  furnished  with  alternate  leaves,  which  are 
sessile,  or  clasp  the  stem  ;  and  are  riecurrent,  lanceolate,  etitire  ;  of  a  full 
green  on  the  upper  surface,  and  pale  on  the  under.  In  a  vigorous  plant, 
the  lower  leaves  are  about  twenty  inches  in  length,  and  from  three  to 
five  in  breadth,  decreasing  as  they  ascend.  The  inflorescence,  or  flower- 
ing part  of  the  stem,  is  terminal,  loosely  branching  in  that  form  which 
botanists  term  a  panicle,  with  long,  linear  floral  leaves  or  bractes  at  the 
origin  of  each  division.  The  flowers,  which  blow  in  July  and  August, 
are  of  a  pale  pink  or  rose  color:  the  calyx  or  flower-cup,  is  bell-shaped, 
obscurely  pentangular,  villous,  slightly  viscid,  and  presenting  at  the  mar- 
gin live  acute,  erect  segments.  The  corolla  is  twice  the  length  of  the 
calyx,  viscid,  tubular  below,  swelling  above  into  an  oblong  cup,  and  ex- 
panding at  the  lip  into  fine,  somewhat  plaited,  pointed  segments;  the 
seed  vessel  is  an  oblong  or  ovate  capsule,  containing  numerous  reniform 
seeds,  which  are  ripe  in  September  and  October;  and,  if  not  collected, 
are  shed  by  the  capsule  opening  at  the  apex. 

The  character  that  particularly  distinguishes  N.  labacum  from  the  other 
species  of  the  genus,  is  the  sessile,  recurrent  leaves. 

Besides  the  species  of  Nicotiana  described  by  botanists,  seven  kinds  of 
Tobacco,  some  of  which  are  probably  distinct  species,  others  only  varie- 
ties of  the  tabacum,  are  cultivated  in  Virginia  ;  and  known  by  the  names 
of  Hudson,  Frederick,  thick-joint,  shoe-string,  thickset,  sweet-scented, 
and  Oroonoko*  The  cultivation  of  Tobacco  varies  in  different  places. 
1  shall  only  mention  that  which  is  pursued,  and  the  manner  of  preparing 
the  plant,  in  the  United  States.  The  seed  is  sown  in  February  and  March, 
when  the  ground  is  soft  and  rendered  light  by  repeated  workings;  in 
April,  after  the  first  vernal  rains,  the  young  plants  are  drawn,  and  plant- 
ed in  beds,  at  the  distance  of  three  feet  from  one  another.  The  planta- 
tions must  be  kept  well  weeded  ;  and  in  another  month  the  top  of  each 
plant  is  pruned  off,  the  lateral  shoots  or  suckers  are  taken  away,  and  the 
weeds  very  carefully  kept  down.  At  this  period  the  plants  are  attacked 
by  several  insects,  from  which  they  are  cleared  by  turkies,  flocks  of  which 
are  driven  into  the  grounds  for  this  purpose.!  When  the  plant  has  at- 
tained its  full  height,  the  leaves  begin  to  acquire  a  brownish  color,  and  a 
clamminess  which  indicates  their  maturity.  They  are  now  cut  close  to 
the  surface  of  the  ground,  and  laid  in  heaps,  exposed  to  the  sun,  for  one 
day;  then  carried  to  the  sheds,  where  each  plant  is  hung  up  separately, 
and  remains  until  the  leaves  are  perfectly  dry  ;  after  which  they  are  strip- 
ped from  ihe  stalks,  and  tied  in  small  bundles,  a  twisted  leaf  serving  to 
tie  them  together.  These  bundles  are  now  laid  in  heaps,  and  sometimes 
covered  with  blankets  or  straw,  to  favor  a  fermentation  which  takes 
place  in  them;  but  to  prevent  their  being  overheated,  they  are  occasion- 
ally opened  and  spread  abroad  to  the  air.  J  As  soon  as  all  danger  of  over- 
heating is  past,  the  Tobacco  is  packed  in  casks  and  carried  to  the  public 
warehouse,  where  it  is  examined  ;  if  pronounced  good,  a  transfer  note  is 
given  to  the  owner,  and  it  is  permitted  to  be  exported  ;  if  it  be  bad  and 
unsaleable,  it  is  publicly  burnt,  and  the  certificate  refused. 

*  Brodigan  on  the  Tobacco  Plant,  p.  17. 

t  In  Colombia  the  following  are  the  great  enemies  of  the  Tobacco  plant.  A  grub,  named 
tonne,  which  devours  the  young  buds  ;  the  rosca-worrn,  which  commits  its  depredations  in  the 
night  only,  burying  in  the  ground  during  the  day  ;  the  grub  of  a  butterfly,  called  by  the  Creoles, 
paktmeta  ;  a  species  carabeus  called  aradcr,  which  feeds  on  the  root  of  the  plant ;  and  a  species 
of  caterpillar  which  is  called  in  the  country,  the  horned-worm,  so  voracious  as  to  require  one 
night  only  to  devour  an  entire  leaf  of  tobacco.  The  natural  history  of  these  insects  has  not  yet 
been  examined. 

In  South  America,  the  Tobacco  is  fermented  in  balls  made  in  a  peculiar  manner  ;  and  in  order 
to  obtain  from  the  plant  a  juice  which  is  highly  prized  under  the  name  of  JVfoo  and  Chimoo;  the 
fermentation  is  repeated  four  successive  times  ;  a  u  eight  is  then  placed  on  the  balls  which  press- 
es out  this  liquor,  and  which,  received  into  appropriate  vessels,  is  boiled  to  the  consistence  of  l 
svrup.  It  is  much  prized  by  the  planters  of  the  interior  of  Tierra  Firme.  Vidi  Colombia,  vol 
i;.  p.  117. 

J  Warden's  Account  of  the  United  States,  quoted  by  Brodigan,  p.  123-26. 


APPENDIX.  27  i 

Tohacco  as  it  arrives  in  this  counUy,  has  undergone  a  second  fermen- 
JnTS™  it  is  termed  ;  and  acquires  a  dark  brown  Hue  and 
a  soft 'text,  re  Its  odor  is  strong,  and  to  many  not  very  agreeable;! 
U  te's  bluer  and  very  acrid, and  when  burned;  emits  *par ks  con  .... ,ng 
,„  h,,rn  ..ftpr  ;.  has  been  "hted,  resembling  the  deflagrating  o.  pitpei 
that ha  been  soaked  in  nitre,  to  which  salt!  indeed,  tobacco  owes  this 
Seo  burning  It  yields  its  properties  both  to  water  and to  alcohol 
and  when  distilled  per  se,  affords  a  green  essential  oil,  v.  Inch  is  a  v  iruli  u 
no  son  The  expressed  juice  of  the  fresh  leaves  has  been  analyzed  by 
Vauq .e.in  the  Krated  French  chemist,  who  found  in  it  a  -Ms.derabe 
quantity  of  vegetable  albumen  or  gluten;  some  supcr-ma  a  e  «/  I.»  ,  •* 
£c  odd  nitrate  and  muriate  0/  potosso ;  a  red  matter,  soluble  in  alcohol 
and  in  water  the  nature  of  which  is  still  unknown  ;  muriate  of ammonia 
and  1 pecul  ar  acrid,  volatile  principle,  which  Vauque.in  termed  nicotina 
from  the  generic  name  of  the  plant.  To  this  substance  and  the  volatile 
KSs  of  Tobacco,  both  in  an  economical  and  medicinal  point 
of  view  a?e f  to  be  attributed.  I  shall  notice  the  peculiar  propert.es  of 
each  of  these  principles  in  its  proper  place. 

Ralegh  found  Tobacco  cultivated  in  Trinidad,  on  his  first  visit  to  11  in 
,593  hut  it  was  not  introduced  into  Virginia  unt.  IblG wte  utt  growtt 
there  was  commenced  under  tne  government  of  Sir  Thorny  Dale  n  is 
now  raised  also  in  the  Brazils,  Demerary,  Cuba,  St.  Don  lingo,  the  t,ape 
of  Good  Hope3,  and  in  India.  Sir  W.  Ralegh  introduced  ,tscut,,re  in  o 
Ireland  on  his  estate  at  Youghal,  in  the  county  of  Cork,  and  it  is irtili 
produced  to  a  small  extent  in  Carlow  Waterford  and  K.Ike nny  although 
it  has  ceased  to  be  raised  in  England  and  Scotland,  since  1782.  Before 
that  period  it  was  extensively  reared  in  the  north  r  ding  ot  Yorksl  re  , 
and  in  tie  neighborhood  of  Kelso,  in  Scotland,  not  less  than  one  thou- 
sand aces  were  covered  with  it.  How  far  the  prohibition  of  its  growth 
at  home  is  to  be  regarded  as  an  act  of  legislative  wisdom,  I  must  leave 

°lTheS  hisforyTf  Tobacco,  as  a  luxury,  is  a  striking  illustration  of  the 
inefficiency -of  human  laws  to  control  the  inclinations  of  mankind 
WhefcolLbus  discovered  the  continent  of  the  Western  world  he  found 
that  in  some  of  the  relic  ous  ceremonies  of  the  Indians,  a  plant  v>as 
,1  into  the  fire,  the  smoke  of  which,  ascending,  V^^dJ^me 
effects  upon  the  officiating  Piache  *  as  the  mephitic  vapors  of  Delphos 
upon  thePPythian  priestess  :  responses  were  given,  and  oracles  delivered, 
under  the  influence  of  a  peculiar  intoxication.  This  P'anJ  was™ acco, 
which  was  probablv  used,  also,  as  a  luxury  by  the  subjects  of  Montezu- 
ma as  it  was  smoked  over  the  whole  of  America  at  the  period  of  the 
Snanfsl  connueTt  t  Its  introduction  into  the  Old  World  soon  followed 
and  a  hough  it  was  opposed  by  every  power,  both  civil  and  religious  yet 
its  use  has  become  so  general,  that  it  is  not  only  regarded  as  the  solace 
and  enjoy menTof  the  luxurious  in  every  rank  of  life  in  civil. zed  Europe 
but  has  been  introduced  wherever  Europeans  have  found,  the,  ay. 
even  into  the  islands  of  the  Pacific  Ocean,  by  their  adventurous  discov- 
erers In  the  Sandwich  Islands,  says  Kotzebue,  Tobacco  is  now  so  gen. 
IraUy  used,  that  young  children  learn  to  smoke  bf ore  they  walk  and 
grown  up  people  carrv  the  practice  to  such  an  excess,  that  they  have  lall- 
en  down  senseless,  and  often  died  in  consequence.!  .j„«,„iitt„ 

There  is  reason  for  believing,  that  the  first  time  the  Spaniards  saw  To- 
bacco  smoked  as  a  luxury,  wis  at  an  amicable  interview  between  Gri- 
ialva  a  Spaniard,  and  the  Cacique  of  Tabasco,  after  a  victory  which 
Grilalva,  who,  under  the  auspices  of  Velasquez,  conducted  an  expedition 

y^^^«g^  Ms?  SSiSSSsw 
n^::u: ZTe°z& cX ^ t  . P  t^; ffl reia.i. .ha. .m.™* ^ so».h  a™» 

SSSH^B±^^kc=ts:ffi^^^s 

febver  the  reTpon^"  which  .hey  pretend  ,0  have  received  from  the  world  of  sp.rtts. 
t  Humboldt's  Personal  Narrative,  vol.  v.  p.  666. 
j  Vovage  of  Discovery. 


272  appends. 

from  St.  Iago  de  Cuba,  in  1518,  had  gained  over  the  Indian  at  Potonehan. 
It  was  from  the  name  of  the  place  of  this  interview,  which  is  indiscrim 
inately  called  Tabasco  and  Tabaco,*  that  the  plant  received  the  appella 
tion,  which  Hernandez  de  Toledo  then  imposed  upon  it,  and  which  it  still 
retains.f  In  the  following  year,  1519,  Cortez,  who  had  commenced  his 
career  of  ambition,  transmitted  a  propitiatory  present  to  Charles,  as  a 
specimen  of  the  wealth  and  productions  of  the  territory  he  had  conquer- 
ed for  urn:  as  a  part  of  this  tribute,  Tobacco  first  found  its  way  into 
Europe,  and,  through  the  Venetian  and  Genoese  traders  to  the  Levant, 
it  was  introduced  into  Turkey,  Arabia,  Persia,  and  the  whole  of  Asia. 
It  was  not,  however,  until  the  middle  of  this  century  that  it  attracted 
considerable  notice.  In  15(51  some  seeds  of  Tobacco  were  given  by  a 
Dutch  planter  to  Jean  Nicot,  lord  of  Villemain,  and  Master  of  Requests 
in  the  French  court,  who  was  then  the  ambassador  of  Francis  II.  in  Por- 
tugal. Nicot  sent  them  to  Catherine  de  Medicis,  who  afterwards  patron- 
ized it  as  a  medicine ;  and  thence  it  obtained  the  name  of  Herbe  a  la 
Reine  until  her  death.  The  generic  name,  JVicotiana,  was  imposed  by 
Linnaeus  ;  and  is  the  appellation  now  employed. 

About  this  period,  the  monarchs  of  the  world  combined,  as  it  were,  to 
crush,  by  force,  the  evils  which  they  anticipated  from  the  introduction 
of  Tobacco  into  their  dominions.  In  England,  Elizabeth  published  an 
edict  against  its  use,  assigning  as  a  reason,  that  her  subjects,  by  employ- 
ing the  same  luxuries  as  barbarians,  were  likely  to  degenerate  into  bar- 
barism t  :  and  in  the  following  reign,  James  wrote  his  celebrated  "Coun- 
terblaste  to  Tobacco,"  in  which  he  remarks  that  the  custom  of  smoking 
"  is  loathsome  to  the  eye,  hateful  I  to  the  nose,  harmefull  to  the  braine, 
dangerous  to  the  luncs  ;  and  in  the  black  stinking  fume  thereof,  nearest 
resembling  the  horrible  Stygian  smoake  of  the  pit  that  is  bottomless?;" 
whilst,  at  the  same  time,  he  imposed  a  prohibitory  duty  of  six  shillings 
and  eight  pence  per  pound  on  its  importation, ||  and  enacted  that  no  plant- 
er in  Virginia  should  raise  more  than  one  hundred  pounds  of  it  in  one 
year.  Charles  continued  this  impost,  and  made  Tobacco  a  royal  monop- 
oly, as  it  is  at  the  present  period,  in  the  Netherlands  and  in  France.  An 
amusing  fact,  connected  with  the  opposition  to  its  general  use,  is  related 
of  Fagon,  the  physician  to  Lewis  XIV. .-  in  the  midst  of  an  oration  on 
the  pernicious  effects  of  Tobacco,  the  orator  made  a  pause  ;  and,  taking 
his  snuff-box  from  his  pocket,  refreshed  himself  with  a  pinch  to  enable 
him  to  renew  the  argument. 

In  1590,  Shah  Abbas  prohibited  the  use  of  Tobacco  in  Persia,  by  a  pe- 
nal law  :  but,  so  firmly  had  the  luxury  rooted  itself  in  the  minds  of  his 
subjects,  that  many  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  cities  fled  to  the  mountains, 
where  they  hid  themselves,  rather  than  forego  the  pleasure  of  smoking. 
In  the  beginning  of  the  next  century,  in  1(324.  Pope  Urban  VIII.  anathe- 
matized all  snufftakers,  who  committed  the  heinous  sin  of  taking  a 
pinch  in  any  church  :  and  so  late  as  1G90,  Innocent  XII.  excommunicat- 
ed all  who  indulged  in  the  same  vice  in  Saint  Peter's  church,  at  Rome, 
in  IC25,  Amurath  IV.  prohibited  smoking,  as  an  unnatural  and  irreligious 

*  Tabasco  is  an  island  in  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  at  the  bottom  of  the  Bay  of  Campeachv.  It  ia 
formed  by  the  river  Tabasco,  which,  rising  in  (he  mountains  of  Chiapa,  continues  its  course  un- 
til within  four  leagues  of  the  sea,  when  it  divides  and  separates  the  island  of  Tabasco  from  the 
continent. 

I  Notwithstanding  this  clear  illustration  of  the  origin  of  the  specific  name,  some  are  of  opinion 
that  it  is  derived  from  Tabac,  said  to  be  the  name  of  the  instrument  used  in  America  for  smoking 
the  herb.  s 

I  Camden  thus  states  this  fact. — "  .Anglorum  corpora  in  barbarorum  naturam  degenerasse, 
quum  iidem  ac  barbari  delectentur."— Annul.  Eliz.  p.  143.  The  general  opposition  on  the  part 
of  different  frovernnients  to  its  introduction,  may  be,  in  some  measure,  explained  by  the  fact,  that 
the  poisonous  qualities  of  Tobacco  were  known  in  Europe  at  the  time  of  its  introduction  from 
America. 

§  James  also  proposed  as  a  banquet  for  the  devil,  "a  pig,  a  poole  of  ling  and  mustard,  and  a 
pipe  or  Tobacco  for  digestive."(n)  Nevertheless,  in  the  treaty  for  Guiana,  Robert  HaTOUrt 
stipulated,  on  Ihe  part  of  James,  "  that  one-tenth  of  the  Tobacco  cultivated  there  should  £0  it 
the  king."- Harris,  vol.  i.  p.  7. 

II  The  liu'J  in  the  reign  of  Elizabeth  was  only  two  pence  per  pound. 

(n)  Apophthegms  of  Kt-'%  James,  1671 


H 


APPENDIX.  273 

custom,  under  pain  of  death:  few,  indeed,  suffered  the  penalty,  yet,  in 
Constantinople,  where  the  custom  is  now  universal,  smoking  was  thought 
to  be  so  ridiculous  and  hurtful,  that  any  Turk,  who  was  caught  in  the 
act,  was  conducted  in  ridicule  through  the  streets,  with  a  pipe  transfixed 
through  his  nose.  In  Russia,  where  the  peasantry  now  smoke  all  day 
long,  the  Grand  Duke  of  Moscow  prohibited  the  entrance  of  Tobacco  into 
his  dominions,  under  the  penalty  of  the  knout  for  the  first  offence  and 
death  for  the  second ;  and  the  Muscovite  who  was  found  snuffing,  was 
condemned  to  have  his  nostrils  split.  So  great,  indeed,  was  the  animos- 
ity of  the  government  against  Tobacco,  in  every  form,  that  a  particular 
tribunal,  the  Chambre  au  Tabac,  for  punishing  smokers,  was  instituted 
in  1034,  and  not  abolished  until  the  middle  of  the  eighteenth  century. 
Even  in  Switzerland,  war  was  waged  against  the  American  herb:  to 
smoke,  in  Berne,  ranked  as  a  crime  next  to  adultery;  and  in  1653,  all 
smokers  were  cited  before  the  Council  at  Apenzel,  and  severely  punished. 
But,  like  many  bad,  and  all  persecuted  customs,  Tobacco  triumphed  over 
its  opponents  ;  it  is  now  cultivated  in  both  hemispheres  of  the  globe  ;  and 
the  importation  of  Tobacco  and  snuff  into  Great  Britain  alone,  in  1829, 
amounted  to  16,880  hogsheads.* 

It  has  been  stated  that  Tobacco  was  discovered  by  the  Spaniards  in 
Yucatan,  in  1518;  but  Humboldt  asserts,  that  it  was  cultivated,  from 
time  immemorial,  by  the  natives  of  the  Oroonoko ;  where  it  is  called 
Petun,  Pote-ma,  and  Piciel]    It  was,  soon  after  its  discovery,  transported 

*  Comparative  Statement  of  the  Importation,  Home  Consumption,  Exportation,  Stock  remain 
ing,  and  prices  of  American  Tobacco  at  London  for  Six  Years,  ending  31st  of  December,  1829. 


Prices,  31st  December 
per  lb. 


Hils. 
8737 
1S745 
10340 
10223 
9516 
9620 


Hds. 


..„,_  C  Virginia, 
14719i  '(  Maryland, 
5  Virginia, 
(  Maryland. 
J  Virginia, 
I  Maryland. 
\  Virginia, 
c  Maryland 


[  Maryland, 
i  Virginia, 
[  Maryland 


27878 
27705 


2Yy~: 


:  v  ij.j 


21  to  0  8 

2.  to2  0 
3*  to  0  9h 
2$  to  2  3 

3  to  OS 

3,  to  3  0 
2s-to0  6i 
35  to  1  6, 
2\  to  O62 
2i  to  1  3 
24to07 

4  to  16 


Virginia,  .  .  .    I 
Kentucky,  &c.  2106 
Maryland,  .  .      939 

9620 

Stock  consisted  of 
Virginia,  Ken- 
tucky, fee.  .  .  22419 
Maryland,  .  .     1115 

23534 


Deliveries  to 

Hds. 

Holland, 2072J 

Hans  Towns, .  .  .   518 

Prussia, 12' 

Norway  &  Denm.    144J 

Italy, 1731 

Portugal  &  Spain,  792| 
Brit.  Possessions,  294 
Irish  Ports,  ....  419 
Use  of  Navy,  .  .  . 
Home  Trade,  . .  .  3S65 
Do.  in  Bond,  .  . . 


Statement  of  the  Quantity  of  Tobacco  imported  into  Liverpool  and  the  Clyde  in  1S29,  compared 
with  1828,  and  the  Stock  estimated  to  remain  on  hand  at  the  close  of  each  year. 


Liverpool. ...American.... 

Imported  in 

Slock  on  3lst  December. 

1828. 

1S29. 

1828. 

1S29. 

5980 
6SI 
68 

4900 
768 

9200 
857 
68 

6400 
860 
68 

T  The  name  by  which  tobacco  is  known  in  America  differs  in  each  province  :  in  the  Mexican 
or  Aztuk  tongue  it  is  called  yetle ;  in  Algonkin,  sema ;  in  the  Huron,  ayougoi.a:  in  the  Peru 
vian  it  is  sayri    in  Chiquito,  paw;  in  Vilela,  tusup ;  Albaja,  nalodasadi;  Moxo,  t&bar*. 


274  APPENDIX. 

to  the  West  Indies;  particularly  to  Cuba,  the  Tobf  ..co  of  which  is  still 
the  most  highly  prized  :  and  to  North  America,  where  it  has  been  most 
extensively  cultivated.  One  curious  circumstance  connected  with  its  cul- 
tivation in  Virginia  is  worth  noticing  :  the  planters,  in  the  beginning  of 
the  seventeenth  century,  being  all  bachelors,  regarded  themselves  merely 
as  temporary  sojourners  in  the  colony  ;  the  London  Company,  which  wa3 
established  in  iliOG,  for  the  colonization  of  Virginia,  with  a  view  to  their 
steadiness,  sent  out  a  number  of  respectable  young  women,  to  supply  the 
settlers  with  wives.  These  ladies  were  actually  sold  for  one  hundred 
and  twenty  pounds  of  Tobacco  each,  being  the  quantity  considered  aa 
equivalent  to  the  expenses  of  the  voyage.* 

Let  us  now  inquire  into  the  various  uses  to  which  Tobacco  is  applied 
and  its  medicinal  properties.  It  is  used,  as  a  luxury,  in  three  ways:-- 
for  chewing,  smoking,  and  snuffing. 

1.  Chewing  Tobacco. — The  origin  of  this  custom  has  not  been  traced, 
but  it  probably  sprung  from  the  desire  to  extract  from  the  entire  Tobacco 
a  substitute  for  the  fermented  juice,  the  thoo,  which  has  been  already  no- 
ticed. At  this  day,  the  women  in  the  province  of  Varinas,  carry  this 
inspissated  liquid  in  "  a  small  box,  which  they  wear  like  a  watch,  sus- 
pended to  one  side  at  the  end  of  a  string.  Instead  of  a  key,  it  is  furnish- 
ed with  a  little  spoon,  with  which  they  help  themsel"es  from  time  to 
time,  of  this  juice,  relishing  it  in  their  mouths  like  a  sweetmeat." f 
Chewing  Tobacco  has  always  been  confined  chiefly  to  the  lower  classes, 
and  seafaring  men,  whose  avocations  do  not  always  permit  the  means 
of  smoking,  and  who  cannot  afford  to  snufF.  Habit  enables  many  chew- 
ers  to  swallow  the  saliva  with  impunity,  although  the  strong  infusion 
introduced  into  the  alimentary  canal,  is  a  virulent  sedative  poison.  The 
celebrated  canon  of  Saint  Victor,  Santeuil  the  poet,  fell  the  victim  of  a 
practical  joke  with  Tobacco.  He  was  much  distinguished  for  the  liveli- 
ness of  his  disposition  and  his  wit.  At  one  of  those  entertainments, 
at  which  he  was  a  constant  guest,  some  young  men,  thinking  it  would 
be  a  pleasant  jest,  made  him  drink  a  glass  of  wine,  into  which  a  tobac- 
co-box, rilled  with  Spanish  Tobacco,  had  been  emptied.  He  was  sud- 
denly seized  with  the  most  violent  vomitings,  and,  in  a  few  hours  after- 
wards died  in  the  greatest  tortures.  The  saliva  of  a  chewerof  Tobacco, 
when  swallowed,  affects  the  stomach  nearly  in  the  same  manner  as  Opi- 
um, taking  off"  the  sensation  of  hunger,  and  enabling  those  who  indulge 
in  it  to  sustain  the  want  of  provisions  for  a  great  length  of  time.  An 
anecdote,  strikingly  illustrative  of  this  fact,  was  related  to  the  author 
of  this  notice  by  an  old  gentleman,  who,  in  the  early  part  of  his  life,  was 
employed  in  collecting  furs,  in  North  America  : — Having,  with  his  party, 
by  some  accident,  lost  his  path  in  the  woods;  the  provisions  were  ex- 
hausted, when  he  fortunately  encountered  three  Indians,  who  were,  also, 
engaged  in  hunting.  He  solicited  some  provisions  from  them  ;  but  was 
informed  they  had  none.  He  then  begged  for  some  Tobacco.  Alas!  there 
was  only  one  solitary  quid  in  the  company,  and  that  was  half  masticat- 
ed ;  but,  with  the  feeling  of  true  benevolence,  the  Indian  took  it  from 
his  mouth,  divided  it,  and  presented  one  half  to  the  Englishman,  who 
accepted  it ;  and  declared  that  it  was  the  sweetest  morsel  he  had  ever  en- 
joyed. The  Tobacco  for  chewing  is  Shag  Tobacco,  cut  from  Richmond 
Tobacco,  being  first  wetted,  and  afterwards  dried  in  a  hot  pan.  What 
is  termed  Roll  Tobacco  is  formed  into  a-cord,  of  a  moderate  thickness, 
by  depriving  the  leaf  of  its  veins,  moistening  it,  and  after  pressing  it  in 
a  powerful  press,  so  as  to  extend  the  oil  over  the  whole  equally,  twisting 
it,  or,  as  it  is  termed,  spinning  it. 


Omagua,  ■potcma;  Tumanac,  cavai ;  Maypure,  jcma ;  and  in  the  Cabre,  unia ;  the  ancient 
name  in  Virginia  was  wvptrwoc.  The  other  synonymes  are  tabac  in  French ;  tabak  in  German, 
Dutch,  and  Polish ;  tobah  in  Swedish  and  DaniBh  ;  tobaao,  Spanish  and  Portuguese  ;  and  tobacco 
in  the  Italian.  In  the  Oriental  languages,  it  is  >ambacu  in  Hindostanee;  tamracutia,  in  Sam- 
crit ;  pogficiclly  in  Tamool  ;  tambracco  in  the  Malay  tongue;  tambratco  in  Javanese;  doarSooJt 
iu  Cingalese  :  and  bujjer  hcrny  in  Arabic. 
*  Warden's  Statistical  Account  of  the  United  States,  vol.  ii.  p.  160. 
Colombia,  vol.  ii.  p.  U7. 


APPENDIX.  275 

2.  Smomng  Tobacco. — This  mode  of  using  Tobacco  was  known  in  Amer- 
ica, at  the  period  of  its  discovery  by  Columbus,  and  so  highly  prized  that, 
like  the  Olive,  the  Calumet  was  the  symbol  of  peace  and  concord.*  It  has 
been  supposed  that  smoking  was  unknown  in  the  Old  World  before  the 
discovery  of  America,  but  Mr.  Brodigan  f  has  advanced  the  following  ev- 
idence against  this  supposition  :— "  Herodotus,  in  lib.  1.  s.  36,  asserts  that 
the  Massagetre,  and  all  the  Scythic  nations,  had  among  them  certain 
herbs  which  they  threw  into  the  fire,  the  ascending  smoke  of  which,  the 
company  seated  round  the  fire  collected,  causing  them  to  dance  and 
sing."|  Strabo,  in  lib.  vii.  ]i)6,  also  says  that  "  they  had  a  religious  order 
amongst  them,  who  frequently  smoked  for  recreation,  which,  according 
to  Pomponius  Mela,§  a  geographical  writer  in  the  time  of  Claudius  ;  and 
Solinus,  c  15,  they  received  through  tubes."  The  ancient  Scythse  smok- 
ed narcotic  herbs  through  wooden  and  earthen  tubes  ;  and  Mr.  Brodigan 
states,  that  in  the  year  1784,  some  laborers  digging  at  Brannockston,  in 
the  county  of  Kildare,  a  spot  where  a  battle  was  fought,  in  the  tenth 
century,  between  the  Irish  and  Danes,  discovered  an  ancient  "  tobacco- 
pipe  sticking  between  the  teeth  of  a  human  skull."  Manv  similar  pipes, 
which  were  of  course  earthenware,  lay  scattered  among  the  bones  in  the 
stone  coffins.  But,  although  the  word  tobacco-pipe  is  employed  by  Mr 
Brodigan,  yet,  there  is  no  evidence  to  prove  that  the  pipes  found  on  this 
occasion,  which  have  also  been  dug  up  in  England,  and  attributed  to  the 
Danes,  were  used  with  Tobacco.  These  facts,  however,  are  sufficient  to 
prove  that  smoking  herbs  with  a  pipe  is  a  very  ancient  custom.  The 
Cigar  or  Ckeroot  appears  to  have  been  first  used  in  the  East  Indies,  al- 
though the  best  Cigars  are  now  brought  from  the  Havannah ;  and,  at 
this  time,  are  exactly  worth  their  weight  in  silver  in  the  London  market. 
There  is  every  reason  for  believing  that  smoking  Tobacco  was  intro- 
duced into  England  on  the  return  of  Drake's  fleet ;  and,  it  is  asserted, 
that  Sir  Walter  Ralegh  was  the  pupil  of  Captain  Lane,  one  of  Drake's 
officers,  in  the  acquirement  of  this  elegant  accomplishment.  He  soon  set 
the  fashion  ;  and,  in  communicating  the  art  to  his  friends,  gave  smoking 
parties  at  his  house,  where  his  guests  where  treated  with  nothing  but  a 
pipe,  a  mug  of  ale,  and  a  nutmeg.  From  the  anecdote  related  in  this 
volume,  respecting  the  weight  of  smoke,  the  vapor  of  the  pipe  certainly 
did  not  throw  a  cloud  over  the  brilliant  wit  of  the  unfortunate  Ralegh 
The  soothing  influence  of  a  pipe  has  proved  so  agreeable  to  men  of  phi- 
losophic and  contemplative  minds,  that  smoking  mav  almost  be  desig- 
nated the  pastime  of  the  sage.  Sir  Isaac  Newton,  Hooker,  and  many 
other  scientific  and  literary  men,  might  be  named  as  proofs  of  the  truth 
of  this  assertion.  But  on  those  unaccustomed  to  it,  smoking  produces 
very  unpleasant  effects,  which  have  sometimes  terminated  fatally.  The 
first  symptoms  are  elevation  of  spirits,  with  an  accelerated  and  strength- 
ened pulse  ;  but  this  excitement  is  transient,  and  is  soon  followed  by  ver- 
tigo, sickness,  fainting,  and  a  weak  tremulous  pulse,  indicating  a  pow- 
erful degree  of  collapse.  Sometimes  these  symptoms  quickly  subside,  on 
removing  from  the  atmosphere  of  the  smoking-room;   at  other  times, 

*  The  Calumet  or  pipe  of  peace,  is  a  large  Tobacco-pipe,  with  a  bulb  of  polished  marble,  and 
a  stem  two  feet  and  a  half  long,  made  of  a  strong  reed,  adorned  with  feathers  and  locks  of  wo- 
men's  hair.  When  it  is  used  in  treaties  and  embassies,  the  Indians  fill  the  calumet  with  the  beit 
Tobacco,  and  presenting  it  to  those  with  whom  they  have  concluded  any  great  affair,  smoke  out 
of  it  after  them."— Harris's  Voyages,  fol.  1705,  vol.  ii.  p.  908. 

i  Vide  his  Treatise  on  the  Tobacco  Plant,  p.  19. 

1  It  is  curious  to  trace  the  similarity  of  customs  in  different  countries  and  eras  of  the  world.  In 
a  Report  on  V  irginia,  written  by  Thomas  Heriot,  servant  to  Sir  Waller  Ralegh,  we  find  the  fol- 
lowing account  of  Tobacco.—"  This  uppownc  is  of  so  precious  estimation  amongst  them,  that 
they  think  their  gods  are  marvellously  delighted  therewith:  whereupon  they  make  hallowed 
hres,  and  cast  some  of  the  powder  therein  for  sacrifice.  Being  in  a  storme  upon  the  waters,  to 
pacify  their  gods  they  cast  some  up  into  the  air  and  into  the  water;  so  a  weare  for  fish  being 
newly  set  up,  they  cast  some  therein  and  into  the  air;  and  also  after  an  escape  of  danger,  they 
caste  some  into  the  air  likewise  :  but  all  done  with  strange  gestures,  stamping,  sometime 'dancing', 
clapping  of  hands,  holding  up  of  hands,  and  staring  up  into  the  heavens,  uttering  therewithal! 
tnd  chattering  strange  words  and  noises."— See  Hahluyt's  Voyages,  fol.  Lond.  1S10.  vol.  iii.  D.  324. 

9  L.  c.  p.  20. 


276  APPENDIX. 

they  have  been  known  to  continue  for  forty-eight  hours.*  I  have  an  in- 
stance of  the  kind,  at  this  time,  under  my  eye  :  and  Gmelin  has  related 
two  fatal  cases  of  excessive  smoking,  in  one  of  which  seventeen,  and  in 
the  other  eighteen,  pipes  were  smoked  at  a  sitting.f  It  is,  nevertheless, 
well  known,  that  some  German  professors  are  in  the  habit  of  smoking, 
daily,  from  fifteen  to  eighteen  pipes,  with  impunity. 

As  smoking  is  a  species  of  distillation,  the  Nicotina,  or  sedative  prin- 
ciple of  the  Tobacco,  being  more  volatile  and  less  condensable  than  the 
essential  oil,  chiefly  comes  over  with  the  smoke,  and  acts  upon  the  nerv- 
ous energy  of  the  habit  through  the  medium  of  the  lungs.  When  the 
quantity  is  excessive  it  paralyzes  the  heart,  rendering  it  insensible  to  the 
stimulus  of  the  blood,  and  the  circulation  ceases.  The  experiments  of 
Mr.  Btodief  have  demonstrated  that  the  essential  oil  is  more  poisonous 
than  the  infusion  of  Tobacco,  which  contains,  like  the  smoke,  the  Nico- 
tina; but  it  kills  by  exciting  convulsions  and  coma,  without  affecting  the 
heart.  This  oil  accumulates  in  old  tobacco-pipes.  The  poisonous  effects 
of  it  are  thus  mentioned  by  Mr.  Barrow  : — "  A  Hottentot  applied  some 
of  it  from  the  short  end  of  his  wooden  tobacco-pipe  to  the  mouth  of  a 
snake,  while  darting  out  his  tongue.  The  effect  was  instantaneous  as 
an  electric  shock — with  a  convulsive  motion  that  was  momentary,  the 
snake  half  untwisted  itself,  and  never  stirred  more;  and  the  muscles 
were  so  contracted,  that  the  whole  animal  felt  hard  and  rigid,  as  if  dried 
in  the  sun."§ 

The  Tobacco  most  prized  for  smoking  is  that  reared  in  Cuba  and  on 
the  Rio  Negro;  that  of  Cumana  is  the  most  aromatic.  The  Havannah 
cigars  are  esteemed  in  every  part  of  the  world  where  smoking  is  indulged. 
The  coarse,  acrid  Tobacco  chiefly  employed  by  the  lower  classes  of  people 
in  the  country,  is  the  produce  of  Virginia;  and  on  the  Continent,  that 
of  Brazil  and  of  Santa  Cruz.  Tobacco  grown  in  the  East  Indies  is  not 
much  esteemed  in  Europe.  The  produce  of  the  Levant  is  mild  and  weak, 
with  a  sweet  or  honey-like  flavor. 

3.  Snuffing  Tobacco. — If  smoking  have  been  carried  to  excess,  snuff- 
taking  has  been  still  more  abused  ;  although  it  is  questionable,  whether 
any  cases  of  death  ever  occurred  from  taking  too  much  snuff. 

A  collection  of  snuffs  from  various  parts  of  the  world,  and  the  history 
of  them,  would  form  a  singular  specimen  of  ingenuity  idly  exercised,  in 
varying  the  form  and  quality  of  a  powder,  merely  intended  for  the  titil- 
lation  of  one  set  of  nerves.  In  this  country,  the  snuffs,  like  the  varieties 
of  Sheep  and  Geraniums,  may  all  be  traced  to  one  stock  :  the  Rapee, 
which  derives  its  name  from  having  been  originally  produced,  by  rasping 
what  is  called  a  carrot  of  Tobacco.  To  form  this,  the  leaves  of  Tobacco 
freed  from  their  stems  and  veins,  are  fermented  and  pressed  closely  to- 
gether into  the  shape  of  a  spindle,  and  retained  in  that  shape  by  cords 
wound  round  them.  Scotch  snuff,  which  is,  also,  the  basis  of  many 
snuffs,  is  made  from  Tobacco,  with  the  midrib  and  veins  left  in  the  leaves, 
which  are  first  fermented,  then  dried  before  a  strong  fire,  and  afterwards 
ground  in  mills,  resembling  a  large  mortar  and  pestle. 

It  would  be  useless  to  mention  half  the  snuffs  that  are  in  fashion.  The 
Rapee  and  the  Scotch  snuff  are  the  bases  of  the  greatest  number  of  them, 
the  variety  of  flavor  being  communicated  by  the  admixture  of  different 
proportions  of  the  three  following : — Seville  snuff,  the  best  Spanish,  made 
from  the  Cuba  Tobacco;  Macaba,  made  from  Tobacco  grown  on  the  banks  of 
the  Maracai  by  in  Venezuela,  and  called  Tobaco  de  Sacerdotes ;  andMasulipa- 
tarn,  made  from  a  very  broad-leaved  Tobacco ;  but,  of  what  species  it  is, 
the  writer  of  these  notices  is  ignorant  ||  It  has  been  asserted,  that  com- 
mon salt,  sal  ammoniac,  and  even  ground  glass,  and  other  objectionable 
articles,  are  added  to  the  Tobacco  in  the  manufacture  of  snuff:  but  these 
admixtures  are  unknown  in  this  country,  if  they  be  employed  elsewhere  , 

*  Edinburgh  Medical  and  Surgical  Journal,  vol.  xii.  p.  11. 
Phil.  Trans.  1811.  J  Phil.  Trans,  vol.  ci.  §  Travels  in  Africa,  p.  268. 

The  Tobacco  cultivated  in  the  East  Indies  is,  in  general,  not  much  prized  in  Europe. 


APPENDU  277 

and  the  whole  art  of  making  snuff  depends  on  the  mode  of  drying  the 
leaves,  the  degree  of  fermentation  that  they  have  undergone,  and  the 
proper  admixture  of  the  different  varieties.* 

Long  before  the  introduction  of  Tohacco,  sneezing-powders  or  ster- 
nutatories were  in  vogue.  These  had  been  medicinally  employed  from  the 
time  of  Hippocrates;  and  the  use  of  them  had  degenerated  into  a  habit 
with  the  Irish  and  some  other  nations.  If  the  description  of  a  fop  by 
Shakspeare,  in  his  play  of  Henry  the  Fourth,  refer  to  Cephalic  powder, 
the  custom,  probably,  also  prevailed  in  England  : — 

"  He  was  perfumed  like  a  milliner, 
"  And  'twixt  his  finger  and  his  Ihumb  he  held 
"A  pouncet-box,  which  ever  and  anon 
"  He  gave  his  nose.''t 

Be  this  as  it  may,  Boon  after  the  introduction  of  Tobacco  into  England 
it  was  very  generally  employed  in  the  form  of  snuff  by  both  sexes  }  ;  and 
was  allowed  even  in  the  royal  presence.  The  gallants  of  those  days, .in- 
deed, seem  to  have  been  as  extravagant  in  their  snuffboxes,  as  particu- 
lar in  the  nature  of  their  contents,  and  as  affected  in  the  use  of  them 
as  the  silliest  of  our  modern  fops.  "Before  the  meat  came  smoking  to 
the  board,"  says  Dekker,  "our  gallant  must  draw  out  his  tobacco-box 
and  the  ladle  for  the  cold  snuff  into  the  nostril,  all  which  artillery  may 
be  of  gold  or  silver,  if  he  can  reach  to  the  rice  of  it;  then  let  him  show 
his  several  tricks  in  taking  it,  as  the  whiff,  the  ring,  &c.  for  these  are 
complements  that  gain  gentlemen  no  mean  respect. "§  The  custom  of  rais- 
ing the  snuff  with  a  spoon  to  the  nostrils  was  not  confined,  however,  to 
the  fop  and  the  courtier;  for,  as  appendages  attached  to  the  mull  of  iht 
Scotch  highlander,  we  find  not  only  a  spoon,  but  also  a  hare's  foot,  to 
brush  the  snuff  from  the  upper  lip,  indicating  the  excess  to  which  this 
indulgence  was  carried.  The  quantity  of  snuff'  taken  by  many  octoge- 
narians of  the  present  day  is  almost  incredible,  and  only  exceeded  by  the 
excesses  of  some  of  their  early  contemporaries  who  have  gone  before 
them.  The  late  Arthur  Murphy  carried  his  snuff  in  his  waistcoat  pocket, 
and  used  it  wholesale  ;  and  I  have  known  many  literary  men,  who  emp- 
tied three  or  four  large  boxes  in  a  day.  As  in  the  abuse  of  opium  and 
wine,  the  indulgence  in  snuff  increases  the  desire  for  it,  until  the  habit 
becomes  too  deeply  fixed  to  be.  eradicated  ;  indeed,  the  power  which  the 
animal  system  possesses  of  accommodating  itself  to  the  excitation  of  ar- 
tificial stimulants,  is  well  illustrated  by  the  effects  of  snuff  on  the  sensi- 
tive nerves  of  the  olfactory  organ.  In  the  uninitiated  a  small  pinch  pro- 
duces a  stimulant  effect,  which  is  communicated  by  nervous  sympathy 
to  the  whole  of  the  respiratory  system  of  muscles,  which  are  thrown  into 
convulsive  action  or  sneezing,  whereas  no  quantity  is  capable  of  caus- 
ing this  effect  on  the  veteran  snuffer,  so  much  does  the  constant  repeti- 
tion of  impression  diminish  the  sensibility  and  irritability  of  the  Schnei- 
derean  membrane.  It  would  be  curious  to  determine  whether,  in  this  ef 
feet  of  snuff,  the  same  principle  that  impresses  the  odorous  sensation  on 
the  nerves  of  smelling,  affords  the  stimulus  to  those  of  sensation  which 
cause  the  sneezing,  and  the  increased  action  of  the  pituitary  glands  to 
augment  the  quantity  of  the  lubricating  mucus  of  the  organ. 

Snuffing,  as  it  is  the  most  frequent  and  inoffensive  to  others,  is,  also, 
the  least  injurious  manner  of  using  Tobacco  as  a  luxury  ;  although,  in 
those  unaccustomed  to  it,  like  smoking,  it  not  only  causes  sneezing,  but 
nausea  and  vertigo.  In  great  snuffers,  the  stomach  frequently  suffers 
and  dyspeptic  symptoms  supervene,  accompanied  with  pains  and  tormina, 
or  a  twisting  sensation  of  the  bowels.  This  may  arise,  in  «art,  from  the 
snuff  passing  into  the  pharynx  and  being  swallowed ;  although  it  is  also 

*  In  a  letter  from  a  large  manufacturer  of  Tobacco  to  the  aulhor,  is  this  sentence:  "  The  best 
method  of  manufacturing  Tobacco  or  Snuff,  is  to  use  good  Tobacco,  and  to  clean  it  of  all  its  inr 
purities  as  much  as  possible." 

t  Henry  IV.,  Act  i.  sc.  4.  }  StoweV  Annals. 

§  Gull's  Horn  Book,  pp.  119,  120. 

Y 


978  APPENDIX. 

possible  that  it  may  depend  on  sympathy.  Snuffing  is  frequently  injur! 
ous  to  weak  and  nervous  people  ;  and  some  physicians,  among  whom 
was  the  celebrated  .Lorry,  have  ascribed  to  its  use  the  frequent  occur- 
rence of  nervous  diseases.  It  is,  however,  unfortunate  for  this  opinion, 
that  in  the  royal  snuffmanufactories  of  France, comprising  a  population 
of  above  400J  persons,  the  workmen  are  not  subject  to  any  special  dis- 
eases and  they  live  on  an  average  as  long  as  other  people  ;*  in  addition 
to  the  fact,  that  the  most  inordinate  use  of  it  lias  not  often  produced 
nervous  affections. 

Snuff,  we  have  said,  has  been  recommended  as  an  errhine  or  promoter 
of  the  discharge  of  the  nostrils  in  a  tendency  to  apoplexy  :  but  although 
the  quantity  of  the  fluid  discharged  may  cause  the  depletion  of  the  ves- 
sels of  the  head,  yet,  on  account  of  its  narcotic  quality,  snuff  ought  to 
be  employed  with  caution  ;  and  as  we  occasionally  see  great  snuff-taker 
seized  with  apoplexy  and  palsy  on  suddenly  leaving  off  its  use,  there 
sufficient  reason  for  regarding  it  as  a  less  proper  errhine  than  many  othe 
substances. 

The  hints  that  have  been  given  of  some  of  the  medicinal  properties 
of  Tobacco  leave  little. to  be  said  on  this  head.  Its  medicinal  qualities 
were  early  known ;  it  was  named  Herba  panacea,  and  admitted  into  the 
Materia  Medica  of  France  in  15B2:  and,  probably,  the  abuse  of  it  as  a 
medicine  gave  rise  to  many  of  the  objections  to  its  introduction  into 
general  use,  which  were  afterwards  nurtured  by  prejudice  and  falsehood. 
We  observe  the  credulity  of  its  evil  effects  carried  to  an  absurd  length 
in  the  Counterblaste  to  which  we  have  already  referred: — "  It  makes," 
says  the  royal  author,  "  a  kitchen,  also,  oftentimes  in  the  inward  parts 
of  men,  soyling  and  infecting  them  with  an  unctuous  and  oily  kind  of 
soote,  as  hath  been  found  in  some  great  tobacco  takers,  that  after  their 
death  were  opened. "f  And  not  less  strong  is  the  prejudice  displayed  in 
the  following  opinion  of  a  man  of  superior  intellect,  the  celebrated  au- 
thor of  the  Anatomy  of  Melancholy. — "  A  good  vomit  I  confesse ;  a  ver 
tuous  herbe,  if  it  be  well  qualified,  opportunely  taken,  and  medicinally 
used  ;  but  as  it  is  commonly  used  by  most  men,  which  take  it  as  linkers 
do  ale,  'tis  a  plague,  a  mischiefe,  a  violent  purger  of  goods,  lands,  health; 
hellish,  develish,  damned  tobacco;  the  ruin  and  overthrow  of  body  and 
soule."J  The  medicinal  properties  of  Tobacco  are,  nevertheless,  consid- 
erable; it  induces  narcotic,  sedative,  emetic,  cathartic,  diuretic,  and 
errhine  effects,  according  to  the  manner  of  administering  it  and  the  ex- 
tent of  the  dose.  Its  active  principles  are,  undoubtedly,  the  Nicotiiia,  and 
ihe  essential  Oil  which  it  contains ;  before,  therefore,  noticing  its  medicinal 
and  poisonous  qualities,  let  us  understand  the  nature  of  these  principles 
separated  from  the  plant. 

JVicotina,  when  pure,  is  a  colorless  substance,  having  an  acrid  taste, 
and  the  odor  that  distinguishes  Tobacco  :  it  resembles,  in  some  respects, 
the  volatile  oils,  is  volatile,  and  soluble  in  water  and  alcohol,  forming 
solutions  which  have  the  taste  and  odor  of  Nicotina.  When  tincture  of 
Galls  is  adrled  to  these  solutions,  the  Nicotina  is  precipitated.  Applied 
to  the  nostrils  it  causes  the  most  violent  sneezing,  and  is  also  extremely 
poisonous  when  swallowed.  It  is  procured  from  Tobacco  by  a  very 
oprrose  process. J 

The  Essential  Oil  of  Tobacco  is  of  a  green  color,  hot  and  pungent  to 
the  taste,  and  a  virulent  poison.  It  is  procured  by  the  distillation  of 
the  leaves. 

To  determine  the  mode  in  which  Tobacco  affects  the  living  frame,  Dr. 
Wilson  Philip  made  a  number  of  experiments,  with  a  strong  aqueous  in- 
fusion of  it,  on  frogs.  He  found  that  when  it  was  introduced  into  the 
heart,  this  organ  immediately  became  paralytic,  and  that  the  same  state 

*  Annates  d'Hygiene  Publique  et  de  Med.  Leg.  i.  169.  1829. 

t  The  Wnrkes  of  King  James,  folio,  p.  221. 

}  Burton's  Anatomv  of  Melancholy,  p.  235.  vol.  i. 

$  Vide  Annales  de  Chimie,  1.  71.  p.  139. 


APPENDIX.  279 

wcuis  when  it  is  applied  directly  to  the  brain,  or  when  thrown  into  the 
stomach  and  intestines.  He  thence  concluded,  that  in  every  instance  it 
acts  only  through  the  medium  of  the  brain,  to  which  it  is  conveyed  by 
the  blood  *  Some  subsequent  experiments  of  Professor  Macartney  of 
Dublin,  have,  however,  demonstrated,  that  it  is  on  the  extremities  of  the 
nerves  that  Tobacco  acts  with  most  energyf ;  and  the  still  more  convinc- 
ing investigations  of  Mr.  Brodie.J  afford  every  reason  for  thinking  that 
Tobacco  operates  in  two  distinct  ways,  according  to  the  form  in  which 
it  is  used.  When  a  strong  infusion  was  introduced  into  the  intestines 
of  a  dog,  it  killed  the  animal  in  ten  minutes,  by  paralyzing  the  heart, 
which  was  evident  from  arterial  blood  being  found  in  the  aortal  cavities 
after  death  ;  but  when  the  essential  oil  was  employed,  convulsions  and 
coma  were  excited,  and  death  followed  without  the  heart  being  affected. 
The  same  »y;nptoms  presented  themselves  when  the  oil  was  applied  to 
the  tongue  of  a  young  cat ;  and  the  powerful  influence  of  it  is  well  illus- 
trated by  the  account  of  its  effects  on  a  snake,  which  we  have  quoted 
from  Barrow's  Travels.  Now,  as  the  only  active  principles  contained  in 
Tobacco  are  Nicotina  and  the  Essential  Oil,  we  are  disposed  to  regard  the 
former  as  a  direct  sedative,  which  acts  chiefly  on  the  sentient  extremities 
of  the  motor  nerves,  and  the  latter  as  a  powerful  stimulant,  operating 
through  the  influence  of  the  brain  and  spinal  marrow.  Is  it  the  Essen- 
tial Oil  that  causes  the  primary  or  stimulant  effects  of  Tobacco,  and  the 
Nicotina  that  induces  the  depression  and  collapse  that  follow?  Experi- 
ments are  still  required  to  determine  this  point. 

.  Notwithstanding  these  violent  effects  of  Tobacco,  it  is  a  useful  medi- 
cine, under  judicious  management.  Its  fumes,  when  smoked,  are  narco- 
tic, relieving  the  difficulty  of  breathing  in  spasmodic  asthma,  and  allay- 
ing the  pain  of  toothache  ;  and  Humboldt  states,  that  it  is  employed  in 
South  America,  by  the  higher  classes,  to  facilitate  the  sieste  after  dinner. 
The  very  sickness  and  debility  which  it  causes  are  taken  advantage  of, 
to  relieve  incarcerated  hernia,  ileus,  and  obstinate  constrictions,  by  in- 
troducing either  the  smoke  or  the  infusion  into  the  intestines  when  other 
remedies  fail.  The  infusion  has  been  employed  as  an  emetic,  but  the 
practice  is  very  dangerous;  and  even  its  employment  in  small  doses  as 
a  diuretic,  in  dropsical  affections,. advised  by  Dr.  Fowler,  cannot  be  much 
commended.  In  one  spasmodic  affection,  however,  connected  with  the 
secretion  of  the  kidney,  its  influence  is  taken  advantage  of,  when  the 
patient  is  not  of  a  delicate  habit  of  body.  It  is  not  unfrequently  em- 
ployed by  the  unprofessional,  as  an  external  application  in  cutaneous 
eruptions,  and  especially  in  ringworm  of  the  head  (Porrigo  Scutulata), 
but  we  have  witnessed  the  most  violent  sickness,  giddiness,  and  alarm- 
ing fainting,  follow  the  use  of  a  Tobacco  lotion  ;  and  there  is  much  dan 
ger  if  the  skin  be  abraded.  In  the  Oroonoko  the  natives  apply  chewed 
tobacco  to  the  bite  of  poisonous  snakes§ 

For  the  purposes  of  internal  administration,  the  London  College  of 
Physicians  order  a  drachm  of  Tobacco  to  be  "macerated  for  an  hour,  in  a 
pint  of  water;  but,  even  in  this  degree  of  strength,  the  infusion  some- 
times produces  violent  effects.  Instances  are  recorded  of  two  drachms, 
instead  of  one  drachm,  of  the  leaves  being  employed,  and  proving  fatal. || 
The  Edinburgh  College  orders  a  wine  of  Tobacco,  which  may  be  given 
in  doses  of  from  ten  to  thirty  drops  ;  and  a  syrup  of  it  is  employed  on 
the  Continent.  Like  every  other  powerful  medicine,  Tobacco  maybe 
rendered  available  of  much  good,  when  prescribed  with  judgment  and 
discrimination  ;  but  it  becomes  a  most  frightful  weapon  in  the  hands  of 
the  ignorant  and  indiscreet. 

From  the  effects  of  the  tincture  of  galls  in  producing  an  insoluble  and 
consequently  inert  compound  with  Nicotina,  galls,  either  in  infusion  ol 

*  Treatise  on  Febrile  Diseases,  Winchester,  1804,  vol.  4th.    Appendix,  pp.  708—716. 

t  Orfila,  Traite  des  Poisons,  vol.  ii.  partie  1.  p.  251. 

t  Phil.  Trans,  loc.  cit.  §  Humboldt's  Personal  Narrative. 

Ij  Edinburgh  Medical  and  Surgical  Journal,  vol.  iii.  p.  129. 


:280  appendix. 

tincture,  should  be  administered  in  instances  of  poisoning  by  overdoses 
of  Tobacco,  under  any  form  in  which  it  is  taken  into  the  stomach  ; 
whilst,  at  the  same  time,  ammonia,  brandy,  and  other  stimulants,  are 
requisite  to  rouse  the  depressed  energies  of  the  nervous  system.  When 
the  danger  is  pressing,  the  respiration  should  be  supported  by  artificial 
means,  and  kept  up  until  the  narcotic  influence  of  the  poison  is  exhaust- 
ed. 

Such  is  the  nature  of  this  potent  herb ;  and  such  have  been  the  origin 
and  dissemination  of  Tobacco :  an  object  of  secondary  importance  as 
regards  the  life  of  Ralegh  ;  but  yet  so  familiar,  and  productive  of  such 
important  results,  as  to  awaken  general  curiosity  regarding  it.  The  arms 
of  the  Romans  spread  the  arts  of  civilized  life  among  the  untutored  na- 
tions over  whom  they  triumphed  :  the  enterprise  of  one  of  their  conquer- 
ed provinces,  a  thousand  years  after  the  overthrow  of  their  empire,  trans- 
ported an  insignificant  herb,  from  the  western  hemisphere,  whose  influ- 
ence has  extended  over  nations  the  existence  of  which  was  unknown  to 
the  masters  of  the  world.  Among  the  Indian  tribes,  the  calumet  is  the 
symbol  of  the  peace  and  concord  of  nations  ;  in  Christendom,  the  powder 
of  the  herb  that  confers  its  charm,  is  that  of  amicable  intercourse  and 
social  amity  between  man  and  man  :  its  smoke,  rising  in  clouds  from  the 
idolatrous  altar  of  the  native  Mexican,  opened  the  world  of  spirits  to  his 
delirious  imagination  :  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  opposite  hemisphere, 
whilst  it  has  furnished  the  means  of  encouraging  folly,  pampering  luxu- 
ry, and  waging  war,  it  has,  at  the  same  time,  contributed  to  lessen  the 
sum  of  human  misery,  by  allaying  pain  ;  and  even  assisted  in  extending 
the  boundaries  of  intellect,  by  aiding  the  contemplations  of  the  Christian 
philosopher. 


Note  (C). 

Letter  from  Sir  Robert  Cecil  from  the  Tower  at  Dartmouth,  2ist  September, 
1592* 
Good  Mr.  Vice  Chamberlaine, 
As  soon  as  I  came  on  boarde  the  Carick  on  Wednesday  at  one  of  clock, 
with  the  rest  of  Her  Majesty's  commissioners,  within  one  halfe  houre  Sir 
Walter  Ralegh  arrived  with  hys  keper  Mr.  Blunt ;  I  assure  you,  Sir,  hys 
poore  servants,  to  the  number  of  140  goodly  men,  and  all  the  mariners, 
came  to  him  with  such  shouts  and  joy  as  I  never  saw  a  man  more 
troubled  to  quiet  them  in  my  life.  But  his  hart  is  broken,  for  he  is  very 
extreamly  pensive  longer  than  he  is  busied,  in  wh  he  can  toil  terribly. 
But  if  you  dyd  heare  him  rage  at  the  spoiles,  finding  ail  the  short  wares 
utterly  devoured,  you  would  laugh,  as  I  do  wn  I  can  not  choose.  The 
meeting  betweene  him  and  Sir  John  Gilbert,  was  with  teares  on  Sr  John's 
part ;  and  he,  belike  finding  it  is  knowen  he  hath  a  keper,  whensoever 
he  is  saluted  with  congratulations  for  liberty,  he  doth  answer  no,  I  am 
stylle  ye  Queen  of  England's  poore  captive.  I  wished  him  to  conceale  it, 
because  here  it  diminisheth  his  credite,  wh  I  do  vowe  to  you  before  God 
is  greater  amongst  the  mariners  than  I  thoght  for:  I  do  grace  him  as 
much  as  I  may,  for  I  find  him  marvellously  greedy  to  do  any  thing  to  re- 
cover ye  conceit  of  his  brutish  offence.  I  have  examined  Sir  John  Gil- 
bert by  oths,  and  all  his,  who  I  find  cleare  I  protest  to  you  in  most  men's 
opinions.  His  heart  was  so  great  tyll  his  brother  was  at  lyberty,  as  he 
never  came  but  once  to  the  towre,  and  never  was  aboord  her ;  but  now 
he  is  sworne,  he  doth  sett  all  whotly  abroad  to  hunt  out  others,  and  in- 
forms us  dayly  by  his  spies  wherein  he  would  not  be  so  bold  if  he  cold 

*  The  Letters  contained  in  the  Appendix  are  copied  from  the  State  Paper  Office,  and  now  for 
the  first  time  printed. 


APPENDIX.  SJ81 

have  a^-gs^w&^s  zw^MKJi 

amlL  Your  loveing  poore  frend, 

"  Ro.  Cecyll. 

Good  Mr.  Vice  Chamberlaine,  be  good  to  my  sorrowfull  poore  Bess  y' 
roi  shall  bring,  by  informations,  of  great  booties  of  Sir  John  Borough 
and  others. 


Note  (D). 

Letter  from  Ralegh  to  Cobhavi. 

T  have  sent  your  Lordship  such  news  as  cam  to  me  from  above  and 

by  the  post  at  midnight,  and  loaned  it  ma  *        ^  be  here  ,0. 

and  her  partridge  siaie.    ±1  >uu  J"  d  jf    ou  g0  t0  Lyme  or 

Mb  o,  no,  .1...  w.  m.,  «jd  U...M.  >nd  vvMy  M  comand 

w.  tc. 

Bess  remembers  herself  to  your  L.ship,  and  says  your  breach  of  promise 
BhTtThinsTthereSoauthrSena"tLt  are  of  Holland  is  passed  by,  and  none 


282  APPENDIX. 

Note  (E). 

Letter  from  Ralegh  &,  Cobham,  written  during  the  last  progress  made  i} 
Queen  Elizabeth. 
To  the  right  honorabell  the  very  good  lord  ye  Lorde  Cobhame. 
I,  that  know  your  Lordship's  resolution  when  wee  parted,  cannot 
take  on  me  to  persuade  you  ;  I  wyll  only  say  thys  much,  it  is  butt  a  day 
and  half  jurney  hither,  the  Queen  will  take  it  exceedyngly  kyndly,  and 
take  herself  more  beholding  unto  you  than  you  think.  The  french  tarry 
but  2  or  3  dajs  at  most.  1  will  presently  returne  to  the  bathe  with  your 
L.shipe  agayne  ;  the  frenche  were  all  blacke,  and  no  hraverye  at  all,  so 
I  have  only  made  me  a  blacke  taffeta  sute,  and  leve  all  my  other  sutes ; 
this  is  all  I  can  say,  saving  I  only  wysh  you  a  littell  to  beare  and  make 
the  Queene  so  much  the  more  in  your  debt ;  it  will  be  friday  er  they 
have  adience  ;  it  would  be  long  to  tell  you  of  the  Queen's  discourse  with 
me  of  your  Lordship,  and  finding  it,  I  durst  not  say  that  I  knew  you 
were  resolved  not  to  come,  but  left  it  to  the  estate  of  your  boddy.  I 
need  not  doubt  but  that  your  L.  will  believe  that  I  wish  you  to  hold 
such  a  course  as  may  best  fitt  your  honor  and  your  humor  together;  if 
you  come  she  will  take  it  most  kyndly,  if  you  come  not  it  shall  he 
handled  as  you  will  have  it,  and  herein  and  all  else  I  will  remayne  yours 
before  all  the  world. 

W.  Ralegh. 

Bassyng,  this  Saturday  nigght :  late. 

I  am  even  now  going  all  night  to  London,  to  provide  a  plaine  taffeta 
sute,  and  a  plaine  blacke  saddle,  and  will  be  here  agayne  Tuesday  night ; 
and  if  your  Frenche  jirney  hold,  it  will  much  glad  you  for  them  to  know 
that  you  are  here,  for  I  am  resolved  that  the  Queen  will  most  esteem  you 
here  and  use  you. 


Note  (F). 

Letter  from  Lord  Grey  to  King  James. 

No  date  :  probably  1603. 

By  every  one  that  cometh  from  your  Majesty,  I  gather  thus  much  of 
your  deep  displeasure,  that  I  protest  {I  am)  neer  desperade  of  favor  ;  life 
and  liberty  grow  odious,  and  hope  only  remaineth  by  my  blood  to  cleer 
the  obstruction  my  sighs  could  not  breath  out,  and  by  death  to  rid  my- 
self of  torment.  Once  only  give  me  leave  in  theas  bitter  agonies  to  ex- 
postulate with  you,  eaven  my  king  :  thinketh  your  majiy,  that  beecaus 
I  never  yeeld,  for  my  soul  is  deer  to  intend  your  royall  hurt,  that  there- 
fore I  justify  myself,  extenuate  your  mercy,  or  riy  not  in  contrition  as 
much  as  flesh  and  blood  can  suffer?  Quid  ergo?  Ivdislincta  hoec  defensio 
et '.  promiscua  elabriturl  Immo  Justis  terminus  dividalur :  punishe  my  of- 
fences, which  I  now  feel,  and  confess  of  such  nature,  as  to-morrow  cut 
of  my  head,  I  will  say  you  are  but  just.  But  of  necessity,  becaus  of  my 
.infinite  folly,  must  I  intend  treason  against  your  sacred  person?  What, 
I  beseech  your  Maty  should  bee  my  ends?  Not  religion,  for  they  were 
papists  :  not  ambition,  for  thear  was  not  one,  one  whome  I  might  trust, 
but  rather  that  I  knew  would  seeke  my  mine:  Besides  their  own  con- 
fessions are  that  I  renounced  the  action  :  Judg"  then  as  you  pleas  :  tibi 
enimf unum  rerum  judicium  dii  dedere,  nobis  obsequii  gloria  rclicta  est. 
this  only  must  I  feal  with  my  death  however  mine  eye  was  in  discern- 
ing,  mine  heart  was  never  false  in  assenting  to  your  perils :  An  offence 


APPENDIX.  283 

yet  soe  great,  as  I  shun  not  to  dy,  only  for  the  antiquity  of  sne  noable  a 
race,  for  soe  much  unstained  blood  as  have  spilt  in  the  heads  of  your  aun- 
cestor's  armies,  for  400  yeers  loyalty,  during  which  time  the  nous  of 
Wilton  hath  florished  untoucht:  for  mine  own  zeal  to  your  princely  self, 
which  this  deliverer  knows,  would  have  poured  forth  my  life  blood  in  de- 
fence of  your  right  to  this  royale  seat,  let  not  one  wretched  offence  of 
youth,  though  I  dy,  stain  my  heart,  my  hous,  with  treasonous  intent. 
Your  mercy  allready  is  admirable  to  the  world;  to  your  self  (eaven  in 
offences  neer  this  nature)  and  not  repented;  not  unprospered  with  fu- 
ture and  most  faithful  loyalty,  many  have  tasted  it,  all,  with  joy,  ad- 
mire it.  Must  I  bee  the  only  example  of  justice?  If  serviceable,  if  pleas- 
ing to  you,  in  whose  displeasure  I  desire  not  to  live,  it  is  welcum;  I 
neither  shun,  nor  protract  it,  but  while  I  live  will  love,  and  honor  you, 
and,  when  I  dy,  will  bless  you  with  the  faithfullest  prayers,  and  most 
contrite  penitency  of  your  Majestie's  most  devote,  loving,  and  loyale 
subject  and  servant, 

Grey. 


Note  (G). 

Postscript  to  a  Letter  from  Ralegh  to  Cobham. 

My  Lord  Viscount  Cecyl  so  exalted  Meer's  suit  agaynst  mee  in  my 
absence  as  not  allowing  Mr  Serjint  Henlie,  nor  any  else  could  be  heard  for 
mee,  to  stay  trialls  whilst  I  was  out  of  the  land  in  her  Majestie's  service — 
a  right  in  the  curtesey  afforded  to  every  beggar.  I  never  bussied  myself 
with  the  Viscount,  neither  of  his  extortions,  or  poysoning  hys  wife.  As 
it  is  here  averred,  I  have  forborne  him  in  respect  to  my  Lord  Thomas; 
and  chiefly  because  of  Mr.  Secretary,  who  in  his  love  to  my  Lord  Thomas 
nath  wished  me  to  it,  but  I  will  not  endure  wrong  at  so  peevish  a  fool's 
hand  any  longer,  I  will  rather  lose  my  life,  and  I  think  that  my  Lord 
Puritan  Perian  doth  think  that  the  Queen  shall  have  greater  use  of 
rogges  and  villaines  than  of  me,  or  else  he  would  at  Bindon's  instance 
have  yielded  to  my  actions,  being  out  of  the  land. 


Note  (H). 

Letter  from  the  Lieutenant  of  the  Tower  to  Cecyll.    Signed  John  Peyton. 

July  30.    1603. 

Eight  honorable  my  very  good  lord,  Sr  Walter  Rawley  his  hurte  wyll 
oe  whn*  these  two  days  pfectly  hoole  ;  he  doth  styll  contyneue  pplexed 
at  you  leffte  him,  he  is  desirous  to  have  M  heriot  com  to  hym,  wherin  I 
cannot  conceave  any  inconveniencie  if  it  shall  so  stand  with  the  LLdf 
their  honorable  pleasures.  My  Lord  Cobham  his  spirites  ar  exceeding 
muche  declyned,  hisgrowne  passionate  in  lamentatyon  and  sorrowe,  his 
only  hope  is  in  his  Majtie's  mercye,  and  yr  mediation.  lam  exceeding 
gladde  to  heare  that  my  good  friend  Sr  George  harvye  shall  succeed  me 
in  this  place  whom  I  will  assiste  in  all  thingos  that  shall  be  whin  my 
power.  Yr  Lordships  honorable  favors  I  wyll  ever  acknowledge  and 
shal  seeke  to  merit  them  wttie  my  best  servynge,  moste  humbly  taking 
my  leave.    Towere,  this  30  July  1603. 

You  L.sh'ps  ever  tound, 

John  Peyton. 

Postscript. 

*  Within.  t  Lordi. 


284  APPENDIX. 

Note  (I). 

Sir  W.  Wade  to  Cecil.    "  Endorsed  to  me"  in  Cecil's  handwriting. 

Aug.  27.  1603. 

To  the  r.  h.  my  especiall  good  L.  &c. 

It  may  please  your  good  Lordship,  Keymis,  servant  to  Sr  Walter  Ra- 
leygh,  sent  this  declaration  ready  written  of  his  own  hand,  to  yr  Lieu 
tenant,  my  self  being  then  w'b  him  at  the  Tower,  after  my  Lord  HenrJ 
Howard  was  gon  from  thence,  whereby  your  Lordship  may  perceave  how 
after  so  obstinate  a  resolution  of  sylenee  he  beginnethe  at  the  lengthe  to 
speake,  and  I  doubt  not,  havinge  now  opened  the  hatche  of  his  closet,  he 
will  be  lesse  reserved,  and  more  willing  to  utter  that  is  behind. 


Note  (K). 

From  Sir  TV.  Waad  to  Lord  Cecyll. 

Aug.  3. 1603. 
yt  it  may  please  yor  good  L.  I  send  yor  L.  ye  declaracions  of  Sr  Walter 
Rawley  and  the  L.  Gray  :  By  the  L.  Grays  it  doth  plainly  appeare  he  had 
a  plot,  a  parti,  and  confiderats ;  for  in  the  begenning  he  confisseth  as 
much,  and  after  saith  he  used  these  speeches  to  Mr.  Brooke,  desiring  that 
hee  to  his  would  not  discloss  mee,  neither  would  I  once  name  him  to 
myne.  Mr.  Brooke  is  taking  the  like  course,  wherrin  I  wished  him  to  be 
before  and  not  behind  the  rest,  as  well  in  ample  declaracion  as  in  time, 
which  I  thinck  he  will  performe.  This  may  give  further  occasion  of  new 
questions  to  be  demanded  of  them,  and  so  greatt  knowledg  and  certainty 
had  of  this  plotte.  My  L.  Gray  is  now  confissed.  Sr  Walter  Rawley  was 
ordinarily  thriss  a  week  with  the  L.  Cobham,  what  their  conferences 
were  none  but  themselves  doe  knowe.  But  Mr.  Brooke  confidently  thinck- 
eth  what  his  brother  knows  was  known  to  ye  other.  Mi  L.  Gray  desireth 
Mr.  Lieutenant  and  me  to  send  this  Letter  to  yo.  L.  (He  then  proceeds 
to  say,  that  Pennicock's  declaration  toucheth  chiefly  Lord  Cobham.  The 
rest  of  this  letter  refers  to  some  suit  on  the  part  of  Sir  W.  Waad  to  the 
King  for  the  fulfilment  of  some  grant  given  by  her  late  Majesty,  but  un- 
perfected.) 


Note  (O). 

Endorsed  in  Cecil's  hand-writing,  "My  Letter  to  my  Lord  Grey." 

Probably  Aug.  1603. 
Till  my  Lords  (on  whom  I  attend  by  his  Majty  order)  have  spoken  w& 
the  King,  I  can  say  nor  more  then  this,  that  I  have  neither  power  nor  pur- 
pose to  proceede  in  this,  but  by  their  dyrection  who  have  more  judgment 
and  longer  interest  in  matters  of  justice  and  honour  than  I  have,  with- 
out whom,  whylst  I  doe  nothing,  I  assure  myself  you  will  neither  doubt 
nor  myslisk  the  proceedings,  for  they  doe  both  know  what  is  iust,  what 
is  honour,  and  wish  ye  innocency,  howsoever  envy  or  malice  may  have 
distracted  your  conceipt  of  my  disposition, 

That  am  yoar  Lord,  friend. 


APPENDIX 


235 


Note  (P). 

cLmbtSin!y  lord  Cisell,  his  Ma'tie's  principal  Seeretarte. 

highest  degre  is ;  moved  oft    Ou    of :  char ne  tto-  IB  ^  /^Jsth/reby 

Lordships  that  I  might  ^pcaK  wi in  yu "       »>*  I     u,  dlsclos  unl0 

to  send  me  in  peace  to  y«.  gidye ,  «"e  b°"' ™  ™  ^ y,     n,  d     God  seml  you 
you  which  to  no  living  crca lure  but  to  yoursens  l  w.  rotection 

y  Yor  Lordships  poore  afflicted  ftend.  ^^  ^^ 
Oct.  1603. 

ZeMer  /rom  George  Broofce  to  Cecyle. 

Nov.  18.  1603. 

<*np  that  loved  me  and  whose  memovie  you  yeat  love  beholding  from 

11      »?m  I  am  to  expect  after  so  many  promises  receaved,  and  so  much 

in  law  to  command 

G.  Brooke. 


Note  (Q). 

r  .».!-  t  ottor  in  n  lfiO  is  an  extract,  the  rest  referring  to 
that  has  been  published.    See  p.  160. 


Note  (R). 

Letter  of  Sir  W.  Ralegh  to  King  James  I. 


1603,  or  4. 


This  seaVe  appertained  not  to  me  to  dispose,  but  to  your  Majy  only,  ano 


286  APPENDIX 

therefore  I  have  entreated  my  L.  Cecyll  to  present  the  same,  for  myself 
I  have  interest  in  nothing  but  your  Mai's  mercy  onely.  God  knowea 
what  faith  I  do,  and  have  ever  born  your  Majy,  move  your  imperial! 
heart  to  perfect  your  graces  begun.  If  I  be  here  restrained  untill  the 
powers  botli  of  my  body  and  mind  shall  bee  so  infeebled,  as  I  cannot  hope 
to  do  your  Majy  some  acceptable  and  extraordinary  service,  whereby  I 
may  truly  approve  my  Faith  and  intentions  to  my  Sovereign,  Lord  God 
doth  know  that  then  it  had  bin  happiest  for  me  to  have  died  long  since. 
For  the  everliving  God  doth  bear  ine  record,  that  it  is  to  no  other  chief  end, 
that  I  desire  to  live  a  day.  I  most  humbly  beseech  your  Majy,  even  for 
the  love  of  our  lord  Jesus,  to  think  that  I  can  never  forget  the  Mercies 
of  the  King,  who  hath  vouchsafed  to  lift  me  out  of  the  grave,  being  then 
friendless,  lost,  and  forsaken  of  all  men.  Pardon  mee,  most  renowned 
King.  But  to  say  this  much,  that  if  it  please  your  Majy  to  have  com- 
passion of  me,  while  I  have  yet  limbs  and  eyes,  that  your  Majy  shall 
never  have  cause  to  accuse,  or  repent  your  Majies  mercy  towards  me, 
beseeching  the  Lord  of  all  Power  and  Justice  to  strike  me  with  the  great- 
est misery  of  Body  and  Soul,  when  I  shall  not  remain  a  most  faithfull, 
and  humble,  and  gratefull  Vassall. 


Note  (S). 

To  the  Queen's  most  excellent  Maiestie. 

I  did  lately  presume  to  send  unto  your  Maiestie  the  coppie  of  a  letter 
written  to  my  Lord  Treasorer  touching  Guiana,  that  there  is  nothing 
done  therein  I  could  not  but  wounder  with  the  world,  did  not  the  mallice 
of  the  world  exceede  the  wisedome  thereof.  In  mine  owne  respect,  the 
everliving  God  doth  witness  that  I  never  sought  such  an  employment,  for 
all  the  gold  in  the  earth  could  not  invite  me  to  travell  after  miserie  and 
death,  both  which  I  had  bine  likeler  to  have  overtaken  in  that  voyage 
than  to  have  returned  from  it ;  but  the  desire  that  led  me,  was  the  ap- 
proving of  my  fayth  to  his  Maiestie,  and  to  have  done  him  such  a  service 
as  hath  seldome  bine  pformed  for  any  king.  But,  most  excellent  Princes, 
although  his  Maiestie  do  not  so  much  love  himself  for  the  present  ;is  to 
accept  of  that  riches  whirl  God  have  offred  him,  therby  to  take  all  pre- 
sumption from  his  enemies,  arising  from  the  want  of  treasor,  by  which 
(after  God)  all  States  are  defended  :  yet  it  may  be  that  his  Maiestie  will 
consider  more  deiply  tiierof  hereafter,  if  not  too  late,  and  that  the  disso- 
lution of  .'lis  hurubio  vassall  do  not  preceede  his  Majesties  resolution 
therein  ;  for  my  evtrceme  shortnes  of  breath  doth  grow  so  fast  on  me, 
with  the  dispayre  of  obtayning  so  much  grace  to  walke  with  my  keepei 
up  the  hill  withine  the  tower,  as  it  makes  me  resolve  that  God  hath 
otherwise  disposed  of  that  busenes  and  of  me,  who  after  eight  yeers  im- 
prisonment am  as  strayghtly  lokt  up  as  I  was  the  first  day,  and  the  pun- 
ishment dew  to  other  mens  extreame  negligence  layd  altogether  upon  my 
patience  and  obedience.  In  which  respect,  most  worthy  Princes,  it  were 
a  sute  farr  more  fitting  the  hardnes  of  my  destinie  (who  every  day  suffer 
and  am  subject  every  day  to  suffer  for  other  mens  offences)  rather  to  de- 
sire to  dye  once  for  all,  and  therby  to  give  end  to  the  miseries  of  this  life, 
than  to  strive  against  the  ordinance  of  God,  who  is  a  trew  judge  of  mj 
innocence  towards  the  king,  and  doth  know  me, 

for  your  Maiestie's  most 
humble  and  most 

bound  vassall 

W.  Ralegh. 


287 


Note  (U). 


Document  signed.    Addressed  to  Cecil.     Endorsed,  in  Cecil's  hand-writing 
"  The  Judgment  of  Sir  W.  Ralegh's  case." 

Sir  Walter  Ralegh's  complayning  is  in  this  manner :  All  his  lefte 
syde  is  extreme  cold,  out  of  senss,  or  motion,  or  num.  His  fingers  on  the 
same  syde  beginning  to  he  contracted,  and  his  tong  taken  in  sum  parte  in 
so  mych  that  he  spheketh  vvekely  and  it  is  toie  feared  he  may  utterly 
lose  the  use  of  it.  peter  turner,  Doctor  of  phisick,  in  respect  of  these 
circumstances,  to  speke  lyke  a  physitian,  it  were  good  for  hym  if  it  myght 
stand  with  your  Honore's  lykyng  that  he  were  removed  from  the  cold 
lodgyng  where  he  now  lyeth  unto  a  warmer,  that  is  to  say,  a  li tie  roome, 
which  he  hath  bilt  in  the  garden  adjoynyng  to  his  stilhouse.    (No  date.) 


Note  (Y). 

Since  the  preceding  letters  were  transcribed,  this  document  was  dis- 
covered. It  is  curious,  as  showing  the  interest  which  Queen  Elizabeth 
look  in  Ralegh. 

From  Q.  Elizth.  to  her  Vice  Roy  in  Ireland  1582.     By  the  Quecne. 

Right  trusty  and  well  beloved  we  greet  you  well.  Wher  we  be  given 
to  understand  that  Captain  Appesley  is  not  longe  since  deceased  and  the 
band  of  footmen  which  he  had  committed  now  to  James  Fenton  :  for 
that  as  we  are  informed  said  Fenton  hath  otherwise  an  entertainment 
by  a  certain  ward  under  his  charge,  hut  chiefly  for  that  our  pleasure  is  to 
have  our  servant  Walter  Rawley  trained  some  longer  time  in  that  our 
realm  for  his  better  experience  in  martiall  affairs,  and  for  the  special!  care 
we  have  to  do  him  good  in  respect  of  hys  kyndred  that  have  served  us 
some  of  them  (as  you  know)  neer  about  our  parson  ;  theise  are  to  requier 
you  that  the  leading  of  the  said  bande  may  be  committed  to  the  said 
Rawley,  and  for  that  he  is  for  somme  considerations  by  us  excused  to 
staye  heere,  oure  pleasure  is  that  the  said  bande  shall  be  in  the  meane 
tyme  till  he  repair  into  that  our  realm  delivered  to  somme  sooche  as  he 
shall  depute  to  be  his  lieutenant  there.  Given  at  our  Manor  of  Greene 
wiche— the April  1582—24  year  of  our  Reign. 


THE  END. 


